Ramblings of a Disgruntle Teenage Boy
by Blondie121147
Summary: After an incident at school, Tai is forced into therapy sessions twice a week. After refusing to talk, his counselor makes him write down his side of the story in a non-censored, tell me how you're feeling, journal of sorts. More inside. Tai's POV.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - I don't own anything. Just the story. **

**Summary: **After an incident at school, Tai is forced into therapy sessions twice a week. After refusing to talk, his counselor makes him write down his side of the story in a non-censored, tell me how you're feeling, journal of sorts. He thinks it's stupid at first but once he gets into it he starts to realize some things about himself he never knew before. This story will be a Tai x Sora x Yamato triangle. **  
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**My first shot ever at getting in the mind of Tai Kamiya... The whole story will be in his point of view. I'm very excited. Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Ramblings of a Disgruntle Teenage Boy<strong>

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><p><em>"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections." -Unknown.<em>

**Chapter One  
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Walls. White walls. White concrete walls. Bars on the windows? Just kidding. You probably think I'm in a mental institute at this point but no. I'm actually sitting on a hard metal chair in my school counselor's office. She's talking, I'm not listening, like usual. Instead, I'm staring at the white walls wondering when the hell I can leave.

I read through the same documents framed on the wall that I've seen twice a week for the past six weeks. A bachelor's degree in Psychology and Human Behavior in one. A master's degree in another. A doctorate is framed as well. All say "With the highest honors" and have raised seals on them. I smirk in spite of them. I bet she spent a ton of money getting those degrees and now she's stuck in a crappy job dealing with little jerks like me who won't even talk.

"Mr. Yagami are you even listening to me?" I hear her say, but ignore her. "Mr. Yagami." I still don't respond, "Taichi."

The use of my full name, for whatever reason, always snaps me into attention. Maybe it's because I only ever hear it used when I'm in trouble.

"What?" I ask her.

"The whole point of these sessions is for you to talk about how you're feeling. I seem to be the only one that's ever talking," she, Dr. Anderson, says.

"I don't have anything to say," I reply.

She takes in a deep breath and pulls the glasses from her face so she can rub her forehead like she's thinking really hard or something. I probably gave her a headache because I refuse to cooperate. It's not my fault though. I'm being forced into these stupid therapy sessions because of a huge misunderstanding. Now they all think I'm depressed, or angry, or both.

"Well, let's talk about Yamato," she says and the skin on my arms stands on end. Just hearing his name upsets me.

"What about Yamato?" I reply.

"Well, he is kind of the reason you're here. Why don't you talk about what happened that day."

"I don't want to talk about it. No one believes me anyways."

"Mr. Yagami-"

"Call me Tai, please."

"Okay... Tai. You two had a pretty physical encounter with him ending up with a concussion. Your chances of graduating high school are already slim. You're lucky Yamato decided not to press charges. Why not just talk about what happened so we can both go about our lives without having to meet every Wednesday and Friday afternoon?"

I waited. The glorious bell to announce my hour was up rang throughout the hallways of Odaiba High School. I jumped out of my chair and gave a weird peace sign parting.

"As always, it was a pleasure," I say before trying to exit the room.

"No," she almost shouts, standing up, "Sit. Now."

Just because her tone sounds kind of threatening I do as I'm told. Normally, I would have just told her to eff off but that probably wouldn't go over so well. I'm pretty convinced everything I say is being recorded. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

"You're not going anywhere until you tell me your side of the story," she says, "All I have are witness accounts and even then they're all pretty overexaggerated."

"You already know the story. Can I please go?" I argue, still not giving into her requests.

"Fine," she says, somewhat admitting defeat, "I've been trying to get you to talk for six weeks now. If you won't talk to me that's fine. I don't blame you. You don't know me you're just being forced here against your will. But I have another idea. From this point on, I want you to write your feelings down in a journal. I don't care what you say in said journal as long as you actually do it. There are eight weeks of school left. Each session you will give me what you've written down and maybe I can finally understand you as a person. Again, nothing is off limits. Express yourself. If you want to get out of high school with a clean slate, I suggest you do as you're told."

"You want me to keep a diary? I'm sorry, Dr. Anderson, but that sounds kind of gay."

"I didn't say diary. I said journal. It doesn't even have to be full entries. I just want you to start off by writing down your side of the story and then we'll go from there. I think it will help."

"So basically you want me to blog about my life? Perfect."

"If you want me to write a recommendation saying that you're adequate enough to graduate with the rest of the seniors then yes, you will do it. It's really not that hard. Just do it."

"Fine," I say, "But I don't like it at all."

"I don't care. You're dismissed."

I give a nod and hurry out the door before she can stop me again.

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><p>I get home about thirty minutes later and drop my school bag by the front door like I always do. As usual, no one is home. Dad is at work, more than likely, mom is probably at one of her crazy cooking classes, and Hikari... well, she's probably with Takeru. Traitor.<p>

I sigh. I'm not being fair. It's not Takeru's fault I'm in this current predicament. He's unfortunately just related to the reason my life currently sucks. He has been surprisingly neutral throughout the whole thing though. I guess that's to be expected though because of Hikari. They are best friends after all.

I sigh again. I remember what it was like having a best friend that was a girl... except now she won't even talk to me.

I walk over to the TV and turn it on as I veg out on the couch with a bag of chips. I begin to think about how everything has spiraled so out of control recently. I used to be happy and outgoing and laid back. I had a ton of friends... well, I still do, but not like I used to. Now everyone talks to me like I'm a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any minute. I guess they figure 'if he can beat the crap out of his best friend then he's probably capable of just about anything'.

I sit up and turn off the TV, thinking about Mrs. Anderson's "assignment". She wants my side of the story. The side that no one has heard because everyone was so quick to jump to conclusions. But how can I tell her that story? It's so complicated and so involved it would take forever to put it into words. There are so many factors leading up to that day it's just ridiculous.

I stand up from the couch and walk into my bedroom. Hikari's cat, Miko, is trailing at my feet. I'm not a big fan of cats but she's lonely and I can sympathize with her. She's locked up all day in this stuffy apartment with almost no human interaction most of the time. Well, until recently I guess since I'm being held here against my will too. She's grown attached to me because of that; me being the only one that's ever home and all.

My computer isn't anything up-to-date so waiting for it to turn on and boot up is like pulling teeth. Hikari and I only ever use it for school projects and occasionally getting on social networking sites. But even then it doesn't get used very often since we both have internet on our cell phones.

When it's finally up and running I avoid clicking on anything except a blank Word document. The more things open on the computer, the slower it is. I make a mental note to get Koushiro over later to clean it up so it runs better.

I sit down on the wheeled chair and just stare at the screen. The cursor blinks indicating it's ready to be used. The only problem is I have no idea where to begin. Dr. Anderson wants my side of the story, I get that. She also said I could use this as a way to express myself. Maybe I should start by explaining who I am and what my life is about. That would probably help her understand me a little better.

"What am I supposed to call this?" I ask myself out loud.

Tai's thoughts? Tai's journal? No. Those both just sound stupid. I think about it for a minute. Well, I'm supposedly angry... or disgruntled as Dr. Anderson puts it. I like to ramble. I'm a teenage boy who uses fists more than words... And then it hits me.

**"Ramblings of a Disgruntle Teenage Boy - As told by Yagami Taichi"**

I grin at my cleverness. It's perfect. Well, now that I have a title, I start typing away.

_"My name is Taichi... better known as Tai. I am eighteen years old and a senior at Odaiba High School. My birthday is July 27th. My favorite colors are blue and orange. I have a younger sister named Hikari. She's fifteen. She's probably the only person in this entire world that understands me because she doesn't judge. All-in-all, she's probably the greatest person you'll ever have the pleasure of knowing._

_Let's see what else... Oh. I play soccer. Well, played soccer. I was the best striker on my team until I was kicked off because of the fight. Soccer is the greatest sport of all time. Don't fight me on it because you will lose miserably._

_Hmm... okay, this is harder than I thought. Well... I have some pretty cool friends. Well, some of them used to be good friends, up until "the incident". I guess I'll talk about them now._

_First and foremost is Takenouchi Sora. I've known Sora since we were five years old. We went to Odaiba Elementary together and sat next to each other in Kindergarten. Sora wasn't like the other girls in school. The other girls were interested in playing with Barbies and coloring and being lame. Sora though... she was just as passionate about soccer as I was. I guess that's where our connection started. She was so easy to talk to. We shared the same interests and even played on a little league co-ed team together. Well, until we were in middle school when they decided Sora wasn't allowed to be on the boys' team any more. That pissed me off. She was better than majority of the people on the team but because she was a girl they told her no way. The coach was a sexist piece of shit and said having a girl on the team wasn't appropriate. Whatever... just goes to show you how narrow-minded some people are._

_Anyways... Sora got hurt during a soccer game when she was fourteen years old. She tore something in her knee and the doctor told her she shouldn't play such an intense physical sport any more because it could be a recurring problem leading to a lifetime of problems. Needless to say, she was devastated. I remember her coming over to my house in the middle of the night, having run away from home, and just crying until she fell asleep. It was heartbreaking. Being so passionate about something and then having it ripped away like that? Yeah, I'd be upset too. My rage would be more concentrated toward dry wall and doors though. But I guess that's the difference between having a penis and a vagina. Girls cry, boys punch things... it happens._

_So, with her soccer career down the toilet, she convinced her mom to let her play a less physical sport. Her next sport of choice, you ask? Tennis. It's a MAJOR downgrade from soccer... but what can you do? Sora was born to be an athlete. She's a lot like me in the fact that she has to constantly keep active or she'll go crazy. She's pretty good though, at tennis that is. She picked it up really quickly and is now the captain of the high school senior girls team. Scouts from various colleges have offered her a full-ride scholarship to attend their schools. She's still thinking about their offers... well, as far as I last heard._

_Well, enough about Sora. My next best friend is (was? still is? I'm not sure. It's complicated) Ishida Yamato. Yeah, shocker. Before the shit went down we were best friends. I guess we still kind of are... but with a little more trust issues. Okay, we're civil. We haven't really talked much since the fight actually..._

_Yamato and I met when we were eleven at a summer camp. He thought he was the coolest thing since sliced bread. Well, he still kind of does, he's just a little more humble about it. My first impression of him was that he was a cocky little shit who needed a reality check. We fought a lot as kids. Our arguments usually were resolved by physical altercations. I don't know why, but every time we beat the crap out of each other, we seemed to grow closer as friends. It's messed up, but that's just always how we have been. It's always worked up until now._

_Yamato and I have barely anything in common. He's regarded as some kind of emo rock star God and I'm just a meat head. He's into his music, and I'm into sports and constant workouts. The laws of the universe say we shouldn't be friends because we are so different. I disagree though. I think that the differences are what make people such great friends. We do have one thing in common though and that's Sora. She's my best friend and his (was his, is his... I'm not really sure) girlfriend. But we'll get to that story later..._

_Next in the line of friendships are Izumi Koushiro and Kido Jyou. Koushiro is a computer geek. He can fix, program, infect, upload, download any computer is known existence. His brain moves a million miles a minute and sometimes it's hard to keep up with him. He's taught me a lot though. Heck, without him I probably wouldn't have passed half my classes!_

_Jyou is... for lack of a better term, nuts. He is probably one of the most reliable yet panicky people I've ever met. He's super paranoid, all the time. Well, not so much any more, but he's still kind of a spaz. He views the world from a pessimistic point of view. His motto is "Expect the worst and hope for the best", which, I can see being a good thing because it doesn't get your hopes up... but at the same time he's always looking on the negative side of things. It can get pretty depressing._

_Jyou is studying to be a doctor. Not by choice, let me assure you, but he's still doing it nonetheless because of his father. Jyou does a lot of things to make his father happy. He's always trying to keep on his dad's good side and impress him constantly. It's kind of sad because Jyou often feels like a failure behind his older brother. He's smart though. He's going to make a difference in this world with his knowledge of medicine and constant need to want to help people._

_Next up is Tachikawa Mimi. Mimi lives in New York City with her parents. She moved there the summer before (American) high school, which I'm told starts in their ninth grade year instead of tenth like here in Japan. She absolutely loves it there. She's constantly talking about the fashion and fast-paced city life which seems to suit her perfectly.  
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_If I could sum up Mimi in a few words they would be flaky, unreasonable, stubborn, and immature (sometimes). She is, however, one of the greatest people you will ever meet. She has a "seize the day" point of view. She's always finding a positive side in everything (a complete opposite of Jyou)._

_Rumor has it she's moving back to Japan for the summer once she graduates high school. She's taking a year off from school to travel the world. She said, and I quote, "I want to experience everything this world has to offer. I've been in school for the past twelve years of my life. I'm ready to see the world." I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will actually travel the world. Her family is pretty well-off in the money department so it won't be that hard for her. But that's Mimi for you... school isn't really her thing. She has more of a go-get-em attitude than a sit around and see what happens. I think she's destined for great things.  
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_Now, if the world worked the way it was supposed to, Mimi and I would probably be together. We'd be the most cliche couple of all time, what with me being an athlete and her a cheerleader, but ya know. We tried the dating thing once... back before she moved. Needless to say, it didn't work out. It's cool though. It made us closer friends in the end._

_I guess I should mention Daisuke, Miyako, Iori, and Ken next. They're really more of my sisters friends, being that they're all in the same age range (except Iori whose only thirteen), but I still hang out with them from time to time. Mostly just Daisuke though._

_Daisuke is... a character. Hikari says we were separated at birth (even though we're three years apart). We apparently have the same personality but I don't see it. We do have one thing in common though and that's soccer. We live it, breathe it, sleep it. He more or less took my position as lead striker on the varsity team once I was kicked out. Sucks for me, but good for him. He's the second tenth grader (Ken's the third) in Odaiba High history to ever make the varsity team (I was the first)._

_Moving on... Mikyao and Iori. Miyako is my sister's best friend. She's loud, eccentric, and boy-crazy. She's the total opposite of Hikari (see how the universe works?). Iori is basically Miyako's kid brother from another mother. He tags around with her like her shadow. He's a nice kid but we really don't have much in common at all what with our five year age difference. Plus, he's really smart and into Kendo or something. (Totally not my thing)  
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_Next, Ken Ichijoji, aka "Boy Genius". Ken is very smart, very quiet, and well-rounded. Oh, and what's that? Also a star soccer player! Ken is Daisuke's best friend. The two remind me a lot of my own friendship with Yamato. Daisuke is loud and obnoxious (like me) and Ken is quiet and probably embarrassed most of the time because Daisuke is so crazy._

_I think the only person I have yet to mention is Takaishi Takeru. Now, don't let the last name fool you, he is a full-bred Ishida. That's right, Yamato's kid brother. He took on his mom's last name when their parents divorced back in the day. He had the choice to go back to being an Ishida once he was older but he felt he owed it to his mom to keep her name. (He's such a genuinely good person. It's so hard to even try and hate him)._

_Takeru and Yamato are almost exact clones of each other. Both are blonde, use way too much hair gel, and have striking blue eyes that Hikari says are "to die for". The main difference between them is that Takeru is really tall. He stands about six foot one, six foot two... somewhere in that range, whereas Yamato is only about five foot ten or so. Takeru is pretty much all muscle too. His height and build can all be attributed toward his years of playing basketball. He's pretty damn good at the sport._

_So, Takeru and my sister are best friends. They remind me a lot of how mine and Sora's relationship used to be. Hikari says they're "just friends" and that there is not and never will be a romantic connection between the two of them. I can understand that. I've never actually seen either of them look at each other in that "Omg I want you" kind of way. He would take a bullet for her though. I sleep better at night knowing that she's always protected as long as he's around. Yes, I play the protective big brother card a lot._

_Daisuke cannot stand the fact that the two of them are so close. He's jealous... he thinks Takeru is secretly plotting to win Hikari's affection but he's sadly mistaken. I feel for the guy though. He's liked Hikari ever since the day he met her. Well, let me rephrase that. Like isn't a strong enough word. It's more of an obsession. Hikari though, she doesn't like him in "that way". She never has. He keeps trying but she refuses to budge. I might have to step in if she keeps complaining about it. Hell, Takeru will probably pound him too if he doesn't back off._

_Well, that's it as far as my close-nit group of friends goes. I don't really know what else to say so I guess that's it for this entry."_

I quickly save the document and lean back in my chair while cracking my knuckles. I then hear a voice call from the kitchen.

"Tai?" Hikari calls out.

Miko goes sprinting out the door and toward the sound of Hikari's voice. I follow soon after.

"Awe, hey Miko!" Hikari says with a smile as she picks up the purring cat and strokes her fur.

"I'm surprised to see you home," I say crossing my arms and leaning against the wall, "I thought for sure you'd be with Takeru."

"It's Friday, Tai. Takeru is getting ready for the big game tonight. Which, speaking of, I need you to bring me to if you're not too busy."

"Hikari," I begin, "I'm grounded. What the heck else would I be doing?"

She considers this for a minute but then pushes the thought aside, "Can you bring me, please?"

"You know I can't. Mom would freak if I left the apartment."

"I already talked to mom she said it was fine."

"Really?"

"Yep. We just have to be home by midnight. Curfew and what not."

Permission has been granted for me to actually leave my apartment. On a Friday night nonetheless. I almost can't contain my excitement. I get to socialize for the first time in six weeks!

"What time is the game?" I wonder.

"Six. Which means we need to leave here around four thirty. It's the cross-town rival game so there's going to be a ton of people there and I want to get a good seat," she replies.

"Four thirty," I repeat glancing at the clock on the oven, "It's four fifteen! Thanks for the heads up!"

I rush to my room and strip out of my sweats into something more school-function appropriate. I end up choosing a pair of dark jeans and find a baby blue sweater that looks/smells clean. Complete with a pair of sneakers and I'm good to go.

"I'm ready when you are," I say.

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><p>Hikari is right. The line to buy tickets for the game is already kind of long and getting longer. It's moving pretty quickly though and soon enough we're inside the gym scouting out where to sit. We spot a couple of familiar faces (Ken and Daisuke) and make a beeline toward them.<p>

"Tai!" Daisuke greets with a huge goofy smile and a fist bump, "I thought you were under house arrest?"

"My mom let me out for the night. Granted I chauffeur Hikari around," I reply.

"Sweet deal. How much longer is she keeping you locked up?"

"Until graduation. She's royally pissed. I don't think I've ever seen her so mad before."

"Ah, she'll get over it. It wasn't like what you did was intentional."

"Yeah... anyways. Is anyone else coming?"

"Well, Miyako and Iori are here somewhere. I think they went to get snacks or something. Koushiro said he might make an appearance. Not sure about Yamato or Sora."

I see Ken's eyes look in my direction at the mention of their names. I kind of flinch but then blow it off quickly. Ken almost sighs in relief. If I know Yamato, he'll be here for sure. He doesn't miss Takeru's games for anything. He's not into sports at all but he always comes for the support. He usually sits with his parents so it's not so awkward for the both of them. The only way Sora will show up is if her and Yamato worked out their shit and decided to get back together. I'm so out of the gossip loop though I have no idea whether they reconciled or not. No one would tell me regardless.

Daisuke, Ken, and I start talking about who knows what and once Miyako joins us she's instantly pressing Hikari with the schools latest gossip. I just roll my eyes and try to block her out. She reminds me so much of Mimi. How do they know all these rumors going around all the time?

"And I was all oh em gee I can't believe you actually said that to him and she was all I know right? And then she said that he kissed her and tried to apologize for everything but she still doesn't know whether she's ready to jump back into the relationship or not. She said she needs time to find herself. Whatever that means," I hear Miyako say.

Hikari sighs, "Poor Sora."

That catches my attention. So I guess that means Yamato and Sora aren't back together...

"I'm going to get something to eat. You guys want anything?" I ask quickly.

Ken and Iori just shake their heads. Hikari asks for a soda and Daisuke starts reading off a freaking list of things he could go for right then.

"I'll get you a hot dog, Daisuke" I say and quickly walk away.

I hear him shout something along the lines of "Don't forget ketchup... and mustard! Oh, and relish! Throw some onions on there too!" I'm sure he said more but the crowd drowned him out.

As I'm walking to the concession stand I spot Koushiro walking around looking clueless. I wave him over and he joins me in the line.

"I can't believe your mom let you out," he said.

"I know right? I guess she had to make an exception because her and my dad were both busy tonight and it's not fair to punish Hikari since they can't bring her. Whatever though it worked out for me," I reply.

"Yeah, that's good. I just ran into Yamato standing in line outside. Have you two spoken since the fight?"

I sigh, "Not really. I've apologized a hundred times but it doesn't do any good. He says everything's fine but I know it's not. I know I went behind his back and betrayed him and he had every right to come at me... but I took things too far. When he pushed me I just saw red and went crazy."

"How's the therapy going?"

"It's so lame. Dr. Anderson usually just talks and I sit there wishing I was somewhere else."

"You know, the whole point of those sessions is for you to get your feelings out so they can make sure you're mentally stable. That, and to make yourself feel better."

"Of course I'm mentally stable. I'm tired of people thinking I'm some psychopath."

"I know you're not a psychopath, Tai. No one thinks you are. You felt strongly about something and you expressed yourself. The end result wasn't exactly ideal but what happened, happened. It's too late to change anything now. I think it's going to take some time but things will be okay, in the end."

This is what I like about Koushiro. He doesn't take sides and doesn't bullshit you. He's a really good guy.

I order our food and then Koushiro and I join the others just as the game is about the start. The gym is totally packed out. I see them having to turn people away because there's no seating. Hikari was smart to make us come early.

After some initial words from the school principal and some other stuff no one cares about, the game begins. Basketball isn't really my sport so I kind of just scan the crowd and people watch; occasionally cheering when everyone else does. There's a woman across the gym ringing a cow bell every time her son steals the ball. I can see the people around her getting really annoyed and just smirk. Another woman is screaming at her young child that refuses to sit still. I'm pretty sure he spilled his soda all over the person sitting next to them. I forsee a fight breaking out. That would be awesome. And then I spot another woman. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Yamato's mother...

My heart somewhat skips a beat when I realize that Sora and Yamato are both sitting there together with Yamato's and Takeru's parents. He's got his arm around her shoulders which makes me believe that they _are_ in fact back together. She looks uncomfortable though. Like she doesn't want to be here at all. She's not paying attention to the game. Like me, she's scanning the crowd. Her eyes suddenly lock with mine. I see her face turn red and she looks away, turning her full attention to Yamato. She laces her fingers through his and smiles brightly at him when he looks at her. I can see in his eyes how happy he is that she's being affectionate toward him. It makes me wonder if they actually are together or if he's trying and she's just along for the ride. The whole hanging on him knowing I'm watching thing really irritates me.

Kind of enraged/upset at seeing them together, I excuse myself and walk outside beyond the madness. Suddenly, I can't wait for this night to be over.

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><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

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><p>Well, I know you probably have questions. What happened between Yamato and Tai? What's Sora's problem? Etc., etc. Well, we'll get there eventually. Thanks for reading. Please review!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon. Or Facebook, which is mentioned often.**

As always I want to thank you all for the support and reviews! You're awesome!

I've actually come to realize (after having written out a few more chapters) that this story is really kind of depressing. Ha. Oh, well. Bring on the angst I guess. Enjoy.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

_"Sometimes it is the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." - Keri Russell_

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><p><em>"<strong>Friday (Saturday actually it's super late) April 9th. 2:45am<br>**_

_So this is me... expressing how I'm feeling. Angry comes to mind. Upset. Annoyed, even. _

_She's mocking me. She's throwing everything back in my face and using my jealousy in her favor. It's really freaking irritating. This immaturity bull crap is a side of her I've never seen before. I feel like I don't even know her any more. These past six or so weeks have really been an eye opener for me. I thought she was my best friend... but now I'm not so sure.  
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_As sad as it is, I feel kind of bad for Yamato in all of this. She's not even trying to be his girlfriend any more. Nope. Now it's some sort of revenge thing to make me jealous. I'm hurt and he's going to get hurt in the process. The worst part is, he can't even see it because he's too blinded by the thought of them getting back together. _

_Ugh. I hate women._

_You're probably wondering why I'm so upset, huh? Well, here's the short version. My sister came home and asked me to take her to tonight's basketball game. I agreed. While we were there, I spotted Sora and Yamato across the gym sitting with Yamato's parents. She noticed me as well and then started hanging all over Yamato like they were the only two in the whole crowded room. I didn't stay very long before I walked out._

_It's kind of pathetic, really. That she would stoop so damn low as to use Yamato's feelings to her advantage. You know what I've realized? Yamato and I are the victims in this. Sora is a freaking muse. Just when you think you're being graced by Aphrodite herself, you crash and burn on a bunch of rocks. And then you die a slow, painful death while she just smiles in victory.  
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_I think I spent the rest of the game outside wallowing in self-pity. I didn't even want to be there at that point. If it weren't for Hikari, I would have up and left without so much as a goodbye. Instead, I had to wait the whole game out until she was ready to go. It was long and painful._

_Something interesting happened while I was outside though. I was standing in the shadows around the corner of the gym, mostly trying to avoid any unexpected encounters, when I saw Yamato exit the gym doors by himself. He looked around nervously, as though he suspected someone might be watching, and then turned the corner of the other side of the building. Now me, being the suspicious little shit that I am, decided to be sneaky and figure out what he was doing. I don't know why but something in me screamed infidelity. That wasn't exactly the case, however._

_I managed to hide behind a huge group of trees and bushes, just out of sight enough so that Yamato wouldn't see or hear me. I saw him glance around again and then he pulled something out of his pocket. You can imagine my surprise when I saw him light up a cigarette. I honestly had no idea he smoked so it kind of took me by shock. I had the urge to scream something along the lines of "Smoking leads to lung cancer! You might lose that pretty little singing voice of yours! Then what will your fans do?" but I didn't. What Yamato does is his own business. Who am I to judge?  
><em>

_I watched him the entire time he was outside (in a non-stalkerish, watching from the bushes kind of way). I could see the sighs of relief every time he took a puff of that cancer stick. I have a feeling he's been smoking for a while... he just hasn't let anyone know about it. Who could blame him? If Sora knew he smoked she would have a fit. Hell, for all I know maybe she does know and that's why she broke up with him in the first place. I remember her saying something like "I'd die before dating a guy who smokes". But I guess if you think about it that would be a stupid reason to end a long-term relationship. Who knows, really?_

_Anyways, he ended up finishing the cigarette then popped a piece of gum in his mouth and sprayed himself with what looked like a travel size tube of cologne. All to hide the stench of the cigarette smoke. He's a sneaky little bastard, I'll give him that. Oh the things people would say if they knew Yamato's dirty little secret..._

_But that's a blackmail story for another day."_

I watched the expressions on Dr. Anderson's face as she read through my two typed rambling entries that next Wednesday afternoon. Yeah, I'd only done two whole entries in the entire almost week since I'd seen her last. Nothing interesting had happened after Friday night though. The weekend played out as usual: the game entertained me Friday night and then I did nothing all day Saturday and Sunday. I usually sleep until around noon or so, then eat, then play video games or watch movies, and that's it. Monday up until now consisted of school, where nothing worth speaking of happened, so there you have it. Typical grounded me.

"You still haven't told me your side of the story," Dr. Anderson said once she placed the papers on her desk.

I glare at her in disbelief, "You told me to use this stupid journal thing as a way to express myself. Isn't that exactly what I'm doing?"

"Yes. You're definitely expressing yourself but the whole point of this is to give me your reasoning."

"All in good time," I say, "You need to have the back story before you can even try and make sense of why I am the way that I am."

"Well, while we're on the subject, why are you the way that you are?"

"It's complicated."

She just sighs and shakes her head, "Listen, I have a migraine so I'm going to go ahead and let you leave a little early. Just continue doing what you're doing. I want your entries more focused on what happened leading up to the fight though. Focus your energy on that from now on."

"So you don't want me to talk about anything that's currently going on in my life?"

"You can talk about whatever you want. As long as it has some relevance to the fight."

"Okay."

"Have a good day, Mr. Yagami."

"Yeah, sure. Another fun day of sitting in front of a TV alone. See ya."

* * *

><p><em>"<em>**Thursday April 14. After school.  
><strong>

_So I got on Facebook today, like I do every other day, and I came to a conclusion: Facebook is a life ruiner. It ruins people's lives. Yep, it's the truth. Nothing good ever comes from that stupid website. Here's what I've summed the whole website up to..._

_**FACEBOOK... **The place where you add someone as a friend, and then walk right past them in the street without saying a single word. Where relationships are perfect, affairs are started, and liars believe everything that they say. Where your enemies visit your profile the most often, yet your friends and family are the ones that will block you. And even though you write what you are really feeling, someone always takes it the wrong way and someone always thinks your status is about them. _

_You're probably wondering why I'm ranting about FB (that's short for Facebook, in case you were wondering). Well, here's the deal..._

_I was FB creeping, like usual since my daily activities are pretty limited, when I just so happened to stumble on Sora's profile. Surprisingly at this point she hasn't blocked me but that's beside the point... Anyways, so I'm on her profile and her relationship status says "It's complicated", like it has for the past however long since the break up. Well, I think that's funny considering Yamato already changed his status back to "In a relationship" as of last weekend. I guess it's fair to say that she could be busy and hasn't had a chance to change it as well but then I'd be lying. Sora is on FB every single day. She updates her status every single day. Her current status says "I am so ready for this week to be over. I'm so sick of everything and everyone and can't wait to just be gone for a couple days."(She's going out of town with her parents for the weekend. Found that out from an earlier status update this week).  
><em>

_Of course, based on what I just said, her status (about being ready for the week to end because she's sick of everyone) could be interpreted in a million different ways. Yamato is probably thinking she's mad at him, her friends are probably thinking she's trying starting some drama, she possibly could have gotten into a fight with Yamato and can't wait to get away from him, or heck maybe the gossip train finally caught up to her and she's sick of hearing everyone talk crap. I'm going to assume it's the last choice..._

_Now, that's not the best part of this FB rant. Sora hasn't spoken to me in over six weeks, right? Like, she literally has avoided me at all costs. She changed her route between classes so we wouldn't "accidentally" run into each other, she blocked me from writing on her FB wall and sending her messages, and she sends all my calls to voicemail. God only knows how many texts from me she's deleted. Anyways, about two days ago she decides 'Oh, I'm going to add a whole bunch of pictures that have been sitting on my camera for who knows how long'. Yeah... about that... HALF THE PICTURES ON THIS ALBUM ARE OF HER AND ME!_

_Is she trying to be mean or does she actually still give a crap that I exist? Usually when people write you out of their life they delete/burn everything in relevance to you. Well, she did the complete opposite. She uploaded over a hundred pictures from various occasions. Some were from her birthday (which was the middle of February), others from her tennis banquet (January-ish), random ones taken all over the place, some party pictures, pictures of her and Yamato at the basketball game last week... etc. _

_You wanna know what the best part is? She has the freaking audacity to name the album 'People I never want to forget'. _

_Maybe I'm just overreacting. I don't know. I hate that stupid website. I keep trying to delete my account but then I never do because then I will have no idea what is going on in the world. Since I've been grounded, FB and Hikari are about the only things I have keeping me connected to my friends. _

_I don't know what to do... I think being locked up in my house is slowly driving me crazy. What I wouldn't give to go kick a soccer ball around the park..."_

I save the document and stand up quickly from the chair. I begin pacing around the house, bored and alone. Miko is following every footstep I take. Why is no one ever home? My dad works so I get why he's never here. Plus, I think he's out of town until Monday. My mom doesn't even have a job but her social life is apparently more exciting than my own. Hikari... She mentioned something about an end-of-school fundraiser. No one ever comes home until around dinner time. My life sucks.

I guess technically I could just leave. No one is home anyways so it's not like they would ever know...

I think about this for a minute. Would it be worth risking my being grounded even longer? Probably not. But I'm getting so ridiculously anxious just sitting around all the time I can't stand it any more.

I grab my phone and quickly call my mom.

"What's for dinner?" I ask casually.

I hear her sigh, "Can I call you back later? I'm kind of busy right now. My yoga class is about to start and one of the instructors called out so I have to cover the five and six o'clock shifts."

Oh yeah. She teaches a yoga class twice a week. I forgot. I wouldn't exactly call that a "job" though. She gets paid to work out. Doesn't really count...

"When will you be home?"

"I don't know. Seven thirty at the earliest. Sorry, sweetie I really have to go. Go ahead and order yourself a pizza for dinner; the credit card is by the phone. Love you."

I feel a smile plaster across my face as soon as the phone goes quiet. Seven. She won't be home until seven. It's only four thirty.

I don't even think twice. I grab a soccer ball, put on my shoes and head out the door.

* * *

><p>The sky is pretty dark. I think it's supposed to rain but I don't even care<em>. <em>The park is only a couple of blocks away so I go there by foot, enjoying every cool breeze that blows my way.

I actually end up jogging to the park. I'm so excited to get the chance to kick the ball I don't even care if I'm winded by the time I get there (but I won't be because I'm in pretty good physical shape).

Like I assumed based on the threatening appearance of the sky, the park is pretty deserted. There's a couple of mom's hurrying their kids off the playground and into the car before the storm starts but other than that there's not a soul in sight. I take this as my opportunity to claim the empty soccer field.

"You'd better hurry home," I hear one of the women with a kid say, "There's a bad storm heading this way."

As if on cue, thunder starts to rumble across the sky. I just smirk at her and shrug my shoulders, "Eh, no worries. A little rain never hurt anyone."

She just shakes her head and quickly gets in her car to drive away.

I have absolutely no problem with thunderstorms. Honestly, they calm me down. Something about the rain and the constant unknown of how nature takes its course is amazing to me.

I drop the soccer ball to the ground just as raindrops start to fall. I ignore them and start kicking the ball around the field until my heart is racing. By that point, it's pouring and I don't even care. I'm enjoying my limited freedom and nothing is going to hinder that. It feels so good to run again.

"You're going to get sick if you keep running around in the rain like that."

My heart almost stops when I hear the voice call out to me. I stop dead in my tracks, almost losing my balance, and turn toward the voice.

There, standing under a huge umbrella in a pair of soaked to the knees jeans and hoodie, is Sora. Typical. The one person that could possibly ruin my day and she's standing right in front of me looking at me like I'm insane.

Now, I should have expected as much. Sora is drawn to thunderstorms just like I am. It's another thing we have in common. Why else would she be here?

"Where's your boyfriend?" Is the only thing I can think to respond with.

She ignores the snide comment, "You should probably go home. This storm is supposed to get worse."

"I'll take my chances."

"Suit yourself."

I watch her turn and resist the urge to chase her. It's exactly what she wants; me to come after her. But I don't. I have to be strong because I refuse to give in to her. She has a power over me and she knows it.

I decide to just go back to kicking the ball. It is what I came here to do after all.

"I thought you were leaving," I say a few minutes later once I realize that Sora never actually moved from where she was standing.

I stop running around and we stand there staring at each other, not saying a word. She's just looking at me and I don't understand why. Truth be told, It's kind of freaking me out so I say something stupid to break the awkward silence.

"Yamato might get jealous if you keep staring like that."

Why do my comments always involve Yamato?

I see her cheeks turn a faint sheen of pink as she looks away. I can tell by the look on her face she wants to say something. Something she's having a hard time putting into words.

"You're obviously still here for a reason. What do you want?" I ask. I'm getting impatient.

"Tai..."

"What, Sora? What do you want? You haven't spoken to me in almost two months and yet now you can't bring yourself to walk away. Why?"

And then, she just blurted it out, "I'm sorry, Tai."

She turns red and covers her mouth like she didn't actually mean to say it out loud. I'm in shock. Did I just hear her right? She's actually apologizing? That's surprising.

"Sorry for what?" I ask.

"Everything," she responds.

"You never apologize first unless something's wrong. What's wrong?"

"Nothing..."

"Sora," I repeat, more stern this time, "What is wrong?"

"Tai... I'm moving."

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

"What? Moving where?"

"California."

"Why are you moving?"

"My dad got a job offer that pays better. We're moving the day after graduation."

"Why do you have to move? You're eighteen years old. They can't make you go anywhere you don't want too."

"They're my parents, Tai. I have to go with them. I have no one else."

"What are you talking about? You have a ton of people here! My parents and Hikari, and Yamato and his family and... me. You don't have to move. I could take care of you."

"It's not about that, Tai. My parents are my security. I need them and for that I have to make sacrifices."

"Sora, you can't move. What about all of your friends? Your whole life is here! You can't just leave."

"I didn't come here to argue with you, Tai. I came here to tell you I'm leaving. In eight weeks, I'll be gone."

Her news is upsetting and unexpected. I'm so angry I don't even know what to say. How can she leave? How can she be so selfish?

"How did you even know I was here?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Facebook," she replies, "Your status said 'Game on' and I figured that meant you would be here."

"How in the hell would you even know that based on two words?"

"Because I know you. You're predictable sometimes."

Un-freaking-believable. I'm infuriated. She knows me better than I know myself and it's disgusting.

I can't even be around her right now. I have too many things going through my mind at the moment. I have to process the fact that my best friend is leaving. Where will that leave us? Will we still be friends? Better yet, what's going to happen with her and Yamato? If she leaves, he'll be crushed. Has she even thought of his feelings? Suddenly, another question comes across my mind.

"How long have you known that you were planning to up and leave?" I wonder.

"My dad made it official in February."

"So is that the reason you broke up with Yamato?"

She flinches. I think I've finally found out the truth.

"It is, isn't it? You figured that if you moved across the world then the two of you wouldn't work out so you decided to end it. If that's the case then why the hell are you even trying to be with him again? Do you really want to be with him or are you just leading him on and then planning to crush him in the end? Does he even know you're leaving?" I accuse.

"It's not like that."

"That's exactly what it's like! You were never a good liar, Sora. Don't even try."

"It's more complicated than that, Tai. My moving has nothing to do with the reason Yamato and I broke up. It's none of your business anyways. What I do with my personal life is my own affair."

"Yeah, it's all about you, Sora. It's always all about you. Do you only ever think about yourself, or do you actually consider anyone else's feelings?"

"I don't have to justify myself to you, Taichi. Don't you dare sit there and judge me when you don't even know the whole story."

"You're right. I don't know the story. I don't know shit because you don't tell me anything any more! Some best friend you are."

I see a hint of sadness shoot across her face. I've managed to upset her but I don't even care. Suddenly, I turn into a monster. The next words out of my mouth will haunt me forever.

"After everything you've put me through in the past two months, I'm glad you're moving. Good riddance, you selfish bitch."

* * *

><p><em>"<strong>Thursday, April 14. About to go to sleep...<strong>_

_I hate myself. _

_I said some things tonight that I wish I could take back but I know I can't._

_I saw Sora cry tonight for the first time in a long time. To know that I'm the one that caused that pain is killing me right now. _

_As hard as I try, I cannot bring myself to feel any sort of hatred toward her. I'm angry, yes, but I cannot make myself want to write her off completely._

_I said too many words... too many hurtful things. I thought if I was angry it would make letting her go easier. It has actually made it harder._

_I hate myself.  
><em>

_FML."_

I save the document and go to lie in my bed. The only sound I can hear is the rain outside_. _It hasn't stopped raining since I got to the park. The weather about describes how I feel right now.

Hikari could sense something bad had happened as soon as I walked in the front door.

I was soaking wet and holding a muddy soccer ball. My face probably screamed 'Hey, I'm an asshole!'.

"What's wrong?" She asked immediately.

"I don't want to talk about it," I replied.

"Well, when you're ready to talk, I'm here."

I didn't acknowledge anyone the rest of the night. I went straight to my room and locked myself in. My mom didn't even try bothering me. Hikari probably told her I was in a bad mood. She knows to leave me be when I'm dealing with certain issues.

I can't sleep.

I stare at the ceiling and watch the fan spin. It's kind of making me dizzy. My day went from okay, to boring, to exciting, to the worst day of my life. How does that even happen in a twelve hour period? It must be a record. I've probably lived out every emotion possible today.

I can't stop thinking about what I said. I wish I would have gone about the whole situation differently. I should have been happy that she was even talking to me in the first place. Hell, I should have been glad with the fact that she even told me she was moving at all. The way things were going, she could have just left and not said anything. I would've ended up finding out through someone else. That would have hurt even more though.

I feel like I should apologize but I'm not sure how much good it will do at this point. She probably hates me.

I decide to give it a shot and just suck it up and apologize. I grab my phone and send her a quick text. I don't expect her to respond but a small part of me is clinging to the hope that she will.

She never did...

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>Kind of a short chapter. But that's okay. I want to say thank you so much to all the reviews I got from the first chapter! Y'all are awesome! I'm pretty sure how I want this to end... but I want your opinion too. Are you thinking Taiora or Sorato? Or neither? You decide and let me know. I'll take everyone's views into consideration. Thank you again! :)<p>

**Just to tease you I'm giving you all a little preview of chapter three...**

_"Since when do you smoke?" I ask, acting as if this is the first time I've heard of it._

_"Oh, you know, a couple of years now," he replies like it's nothing._

_"How am I just finding out about it?"_

_"I'm pretty good at hiding things when I want too."_

_"Does Sora know?"_

_His expression turns dark and his eyebrows narrow, "I don't really think she'd care at this point."_

_"Why do you say that?"_

_"Well," he says while taking another hit, "for starters, she's not in love with me any more."_

**Well, there you have it. Please review!**_  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - As always, I own nothing. If I did, I'd be very wealthy :)**

Wow! I just want to thank you all for the amount of reviews I've received on only two chapters! I'm really surprised I've been getting so many. Thank you again you guys rock!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

_"Relationships are like glass. Sometime's it's better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together." -Unknown_

* * *

><p>I'm sitting on the cold, hard floor outside of Dr. Anderson's room the next afternoon. She's late. I look at my phone again; for probably the tenth time. It's already past two thirty. Our sessions every week go from two thirty until three thirty. Why is she not here yet?<p>

My leg is twitching because of how impatient I'm growing. She's _never_ late. Why is it that the one day I actually want to talk about my life, she ends up being late? It's so irritating.

I finally see her walking down the hall and jump to my feet.

"Nice of you to finally show up," I say.

"I never thought you'd be the one to complain about my being a little late, Mr. Yagami," she says and unlocks the door to her office.

She stands aside and let's me enter the room first. I sit in the same chair I always do and wait for her to get her things together. I think she can sense my impatience and quickly sits down. I slide my ramble entries across her desk.

"You're anxious today, Tai. What's on your mind?" She begins.

I end up laying everything out on the table. I somehow to tell her everything; not sparing any detail. I think she's kind of shocked that I'm actually expressing myself so openly today. Usually she just talks and I sit here saying nothing. Well, a lot has happened recently and I need someone to talk to. Even if that someone is a third party outsider with absolutely no personal interest in the matter.

"...So now I feel like the biggest a-hole on the planet and I can't even get her to talk to me. Am I a bad person?" I ask.

She just sits there staring at me wide-eyed for a minute before speaking. It's probably taking her a minute to process everything I just said.

"So, this Sora girl," she begins, "when did you realize you were in love with her?"

I recoil in my chair. I'm taken aback by her question. I really wasn't expecting that.

"What makes you think that I'm in love with her?" I wonder.

"Well... aren't you?" She replies.

"No! I don't know. Maybe? Why does that even matter?"

"You're conflicted. You're in love with this girl but she's dating - dated - your best friend, correct? That puts you in an awkward position. You risk everything by having these feelings. On the one hand, you could possibly end up with the girl of your dreams. On the other, it could result in losing the best friend you've ever had. Even still, she could end up not returning your feelings and then you'd have nothing. It's a hard place to be in."

Conflicted. She's absolutely right. I'm conflicted between how I feel about Sora and how much it would hurt Yamato if I were to act on those feelings. A rock and a hard place. How come I never saw that before?

"I think the obvious question at this point is: what are you going to do about it?" Dr. Anderson asks.

"I don't know..." I reply honestly.

The bell indicating that three thirty has rolled around rings throughout the school. I can't believe it's already been an hour. On a normal day, I can't wait for these sessions to end. Today, I can't bring myself to want to leave.

"Well, our time for the day is up," Dr. Anderson says finally, "I want you to do something for me. In your next entry, I want you to tell me more about Sora and Yamato's relationship. I know it's not ideal, but I'm curious about your feelings on the whole thing. Talk about when they started dating, how it made you feel, etcetera. I also have a hunch that this girl is partially, if not the wholly, the reason that you and Yamato got in a fight in the first place. If you want me to understand the situation better, then you'll do this for me."

I nod and stand to leave.

"Oh, and Mr. Yagami," she says before I leave, "I hope you have a nice weekend."

* * *

><p>I leave the therapy session even more confused than I was before. I'm not in love with Sora. That's blasphemy. Even if I was, and I'm not saying that I am, I don't think I could do that to Yamato. Granted I've already betrayed him once, hence why I'm in this current situation, but I can't do it again. I see the way he looks at her. He is so in love with her that I know it's killing him that she's not returning those feelings.<p>

I decide at that moment that it's inevitable. No matter what comes of this, someone is going to get hurt. Probably me.

I pull in to the parking lot of my apartment complex and can't wait to get inside and just lay down. My head is spinning and I just want to go to sleep. At least when I'm asleep I can't drive myself crazy with all these thoughts.

Now, you can imagine my surprise when I turn the corner of my floor and see Ishida Yamato himself sitting on the floor right next to my front door. He's staring up at the sky, smoking a cigarette. He looks troubled - for lack of a better term. His hair is especially messy today, like he didn't even bother doing anything with it after he rolled out of bed this morning.

I approach slowly, trying not to startle him. He glances my way and tilts his head back in acknowledgement.

"Yo," he says casually.

"Yo..." I respond, still not understanding why he's sitting outside my door.

"How was therapy?"

"Fine..."

"That's good."

He turns his attention back to his cigarette and takes another puff. I watch as he breathes in the smoke, holding it for a minute or two, and then blows it back out. I decide to use this opportunity to question him on his dirty habit.

"Since when do you smoke?" I ask, acting as if this is the first time I have any knowledge of it.

"Oh, you know, a couple of years now," he replies like it's nothing.

"How am I just finding out about it?"

"I'm pretty good at hiding things when I want to."

"Does Sora know?"

His expression turns dark and his eyebrows narrow, "I don't really think she'd care at this point."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well," he says while taking another puff, "for starters, she's not in love with me any more."

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Sunday, April 17. Noonish. <em>**

_I know I should have started writing this Friday after I left my last session but its taken me a while to process how to put everything into words. __I'm supposed to be writing about Sora and Yamato's relationship. But I'm having trouble finding a way to sum it all up.  
><em>

_I guess I can start from the beginning. _

_Sora, like me, met Yamato when we were eleven at that same summer camp. Of course, being eleven years old, dating is the last thing on your mind. Sora and I were both more interested in sports than dating. Yamato, he was focused on music and keeping his little brother out of trouble. Yamato always viewed Sora as just a cool girl to hang out with; almost like one of the guys. They were pretty good friends and shared this weird bond that no one really understood. They connected with each other on a deeper level than most people. Me, being completely oblivious, didn't really think twice about it. I always just thought they were close in a different way. Never in my life would I have imagined it would turn into anything more._

_Well, as the years went on, the three of us started growing up; some of us more than others. Well, as you can imagine, growing up having a best friend that's a girl can get kind of complicated at times. You watch her grow, you begin to view her differently, and then you hit puberty and all hell breaks loose. Those feelings that you once thought were only of friendship start growing into something more; something scary to even think about because you've been such good friends for so long. _

_I remember wondering what it would be like if Sora and I were to start dating. Would it be weird? Did she even feel the same way? Would it ruin our already pretty great friendship? Etc. _

_Sadly, I never got the chance to find out._

_Yamato came to me one day (when we were fifteen), holding a small black box, and had a worried look on his face. It was about a week before Christmas. _

_"What's up?" I asked him as soon as he approached me. He was out of breath and frantic, as though he'd been searching for me all day._

_"There's something I need to talk to you about," he said in a serious tone._

_"Sure, anything."_

_"I don't even know where to start. Remember how I told you that there was this girl I thought I was starting to get feelings for but didn't know whether or not I should do anything about it because I wasn't sure if she even felt close to the same way?"_

_"Yeah..."_

_"Well, today's the day, Taichi. Today's the day I'm going to tell her how I feel!"_

_I found myself smiling out of genuine happiness for him, "Good for you, Yama. I hope everything works out the way you want it too."_

_"Thank you, Tai. Oh, and I got this for her as a Christmas gift. Do you think she'll like it?"_

_He opened the black box and inside was a small silver heart necklace. It was nothing too fancy, but it definitely sparkled when the light hit it in the right spots. Any fifteen year old girl would eat that up.  
><em>

_"I'm planning to give it to her before the concert. Do you think she'll like it?" He wondered._

_"I think she'll love it," I replied._

_He smiled again, "Good. I was hoping so. Well, I need to get going. You're coming tonight, right?"_

_"I wouldn't miss it."_

_"Sweet. See you later then!"_

_And just like that he was gone. _

_I decided something right then: if Yamato could gather up the courage to act on his feelings and tell this girl that he liked her, then why couldn't I do the same with Sora?_

_Today was the day, I planned. Carpe diem and all that junk. I was going to tell Sora how I felt and not even worry about whether or not she would rejected me. If she did, then so be it. Life would go on. I would never know unless I tried._

_Later that day, after having rehearsed the words a million times in my head, I decided to meet up with Sora before Yamato's concert and tell her how I felt. _

_I approached the back side of the building and saw her standing there by the side door in a baby blue peacoat and pink scarf. She was holding a small wrapped box and looked extremely nervous. I smiled and started to jog toward her._

_"Hey, Sora, wait up!" I called out._

_She looked my way and her face turned red as she tried to hide the present. _

_"Oh, Tai..." She replied nervously.  
><em>

_"So, um, Sora, are you going to the concert with anybody? I mean, not that it matters to me... just wondering."_

_"No, I want to be available in case Yama is free afterwards," she said with a nervous laugh._

_I was kind of at a loss for words. I had no idea she even liked Yamato. _

_And then everything became clear to me when I saw that small silver heart necklace chained around her neck. My heart sank._

_"Oh, I see. Yamato, huh?"_

_"Uh..." _

_"It's okay."_

_"You're not mad at me, Tai?"_

_"No, of course not! Now, get in there and say hi to Yamato for me."_

_"Thank you, Tai..."_

_She stood there for another moment, took in a deep breath, and disappeared through the door. _

_I waited too late. I should have said something sooner. Things might have turned out differently if I had. But I guess I'll never know. _

_I had no idea that Sora was the girl Yamato was talking about all that time. He never actually said her name, so I just assumed it could be anyone. Quite a shocker for me when I found out._

_So yeah, that's how it began. They started dating exclusively not long after that. In the beginning, I kept telling myself it would never last. They were two completely different people and they just made such an awkward couple that there was no way they'd stay together. But over time, I began to realize that their relationship wasn't going to end and in fact, they were kind of sickeningly perfect for each other.  
><em>

_Sora was head over heels for him. I'd never seen her so giddy and excited like that before. Everything at that point was "Yamato this" and "Yamato that". I hid my feelings well. She never actually caught on that I liked her more than a friend. _

_I figured after a while I would just get over it. But seeing them together... it kind of hurt. I'd never actually said out loud that I liked Sora... but Yamato, being my best friend and all, should have picked up on it at some point. I guess he never did._

_After a year of them being together, I kind of started to get over it. After two years, I no longer believed I felt anything for Sora. After three years... well, that's where we are now. So, as you can see, Yamato won, in the end. Or at least I thought he did..._

_"Well," he said while taking a puff of his cigarette, "for starters, she's not in love with me any more."_

_Those were Yamato's exact words, verbatim, on Friday afternoon._

_I came home to find Yamato lounged on my front porch casually smoking a cigarette. I had no idea why he was just randomly sitting there but once he started talking I knew something was wrong. I invited him inside and he told me everything. He even cried at one point. It was totally pathetic.  
><em>

_"She broke up with me because she said she doesn't want to lie to me any more. She said she's been questioning whether she loves me or not for a while now. When I asked her what a while meant she said for about six months or so. She said something along the lines of 'it's not fair to you for me to lead you on like I am' and then that was it. She ended it..." Yamato said._

_I didn't really know how to respond. I had no idea Sora had lost feelings for Yamato. She never acted like she did so this was all news to me too._

_"...And I've been having a really hard time letting her go," he continued, "I never thought I'd let myself get attached like this to anyone, you know, considering how bad my parents divorce was and all. I also never thought I'd fall in love with someone at fifteen years old. And now that I'm not with her any more... I don't know what to do, Tai. I love her. She's all I've ever known. I don't want to lose her but I don't think she's in it any more. I don't think she's been in it for a long time. She wanted space to figure things out so I gave it to her. _

_After she told me about the incident between you and her the day after we broke up, I just lost it. I was pissed at you, I was pissed at her... but mostly I was just pissed at myself. I kept asking myself 'What did I do wrong? What could I have changed to make her still love me like she used to?' And then it hit me... there was nothing I could have said or done to make her change how she feels about me. I am who I am and I shouldn't have to change myself for someone else's benefit. I don't think it would make a difference anyways though. _Sadly, I think she wants something more. She wants something that I can't give her._  
><em>

_After our fight, which I want to apologize for, by the way. I shouldn't have come at you like I did. I was pissed and it wasn't your fault so for that I'm sorry. She put you in an awkward situation and I totally see that now even if I didn't then."_

_"It's okay," I replied, eagerly awaiting the conclusion of his story.  
><em>

_"So yeah, after the fight, I tried to reconcile with her. I asked her to come over so we could talk. I wanted her to tell me everything and she did. I felt better after that, knowing that it wasn't something I had done to make her not want to be with me any more. She said she just needed time and space and that maybe we would still be together in the end. Well, after about a month I asked her to please reconsider. I was slowly dying on the inside not having her around all the time. I literally got on my hands and knees and begged her to take me back. It was totally embarrassing and uncalled for but I didn't know what else to do. I wanted her back so badly and I was at a point where I would have done anything to have that feeling again._

_She agreed, somewhat. She said she wasn't making it official but that we could start seeing each other more and hanging out again. Of course, at that point, I was willing to take anything she was going to give me. So we tried... and tried, and tried, and tried. And nothing has changed._

_I don't even know what made me realize it but something about the way she acts tells me that she truly doesn't love me any more. Either that or she's acting really well. That spark, or whatever you want to call it that we used to have, is completely gone. I think she tried, I really do, but she just couldn't fake it any more. I finally told her today that if she wanted me to stop bothering her that I would. I would stop calling, stop texting... just stop everything._

_She told me she didn't want me to be completely out of her life. She said that I was too important for her to lose and that even if it would be awkward, she still wanted us to stay friends. But after three years of being in a serious relationship, I don't know if being friends is even possible any more. I love her and I will probably always love her. It's going to take me a really long time to get over this. I guess I'm going to have to get over it though. I can't continue wasting my time trying to be with someone that doesn't feel the same way. What should I do, Tai?"_

_I was at a loss for words. Yamato just spilled his heart out to me even though we hadn't really spoken in almost two months. I now knew everything. And he's asking what I think he should do? I had no idea._

_"I don't know, Yama," I replied honestly.  
><em>

_He just sighed, "I'm sorry for bothering you with all of this. I have no right to just barge in on you like I did and lay out all of my feelings. I'll go now."_

_He stood up from the couch and turned to leave. Just as he had his hand on the door, I heard him say one last thing._

_"Oh, and Tai? Just so you know... she doesn't hate you for what you said to her the other day. She just needs time to get over it." I heard him laugh and then mumbled to himself, "Yeah... because time fixes everything."  
><em>

_And with that, he was gone._

_So, like I assumed, Yamato is in pain because Sora says she's not in love with him any more. There's something I don't understand though. They were together for over three years... three and a half almost. How can you just turn off your feelings like that for someone? How can you love them one day and then not want anything to do with them the next? It doesn't make any sense. It makes me question if she ever truly loved him in the first place. Three years is a really long time to just end it without so much as a reasonable explaination. _

_I wish I could hear Sora's side of the story... but at the same time I kind of don't want to. I feel really bad for Yamato. He gave himself to her (in every aspect of the word) and she just threw it away like it was nothing. They shared so much together. They grew up together... why now does she choose to fly solo?"_

I shut off the computer, more upset than I have been in a while. Writing all of that down... that was not an easy feat. But no truer words have been spoken. Like I'd said before, someone was going to get hurt in the end. I just always thought it would be me. Now, I realize it's Yamato who will suffer the greatest. My heart hurts for him. I've never felt love like he has. I can only imagine what if feels like to lose something that precious to you.

What a sick, twisted world we live in. Nothing is fair and nothing makes sense.

"Hey, Tai?" I hear Hikari call from outside my door.

"Yeah, what?" I reply.

"Mom and I are going to lunch... come with us?"

"Yeah, sure. Give me a minute."

"Okay."

I need a distraction right now. I get dressed in a pair of dark jeans and t-shirt and join them in the living room. I know Hikari can sense right away that something is wrong but she doesn't say anything. There's no use getting Mom involved in my teenage angst.

"Ready?" Hikari asks with a forced smile.

"Yeah," I reply and we head out.

* * *

><p>Lunch turns out to be a pretty nice escape from everything. I haven't been out with my mom and sister together in a while. It's actually not too bad.<p>

"So, Taichi, how is everything going with the counseling?" My mom wonders.

"It's fine. She listens, so that's good," I reply.

She giggles, "Of course she listens, sweetie. It's what she's there for. Have you learned anything throughout this whole thing?"

"Yeah, actually. More than I'm willing to admit."

"That's good. I'm glad you came today because there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

I look up from my food and stare at her. I wonder if she found out about my leaving the other day to play soccer in the rain. Great, now I'm probably going to be grounded until I leave for college. Well, granted I make it to college.

"Well, your father and I have been talking... and after much debate from both sides, we think that it's time that we revoke your grounded status," she says.

Wait, what? Did I just hear her correctly? They don't want me to be grounded any more? What brought on that change of heart?

I look at Hikari and see a smile on her face. She knew this was coming. I can't believe it. _Freedom._

"You've changed, Tai. Anyone can see that. It's not fair to keep you locked up any more. Your grades in school have improved, you haven't been complaining much any more, and you've actually learned something throughout this whole situation. So, as of today, you're no longer grounded," my mom states.

"Wow..." is all I can think to say, "Thank you, mom."

"I think you've suffered enough. I know you're going through some things right now that you probably don't want to talk about with me but I think this is what's best for you. Now, this new found freedom comes with limits. If I hear one bad report from school, or you break curfew, or anything like that, you're grounded again. Until you're thirty."

I laugh, "I won't do anything stupid. I promise."

I still can't believe it. She let me off the hook six weeks early. Wait a minute... six weeks. Is that all? Six weeks until graduation. Six weeks to prove to Dr. Anderson that I'm not crazy. Six weeks until Sora's gone... why didn't I never realize it sooner? Where had time gone? In a month and a half my life will change drastically.

I decide right then and there that it's time to make things right with the world. My first priority is apologizing to Yamato for going behind his back; which I should have already done by now. Next, apologize to Sora for all the cruel things I've said to her. And finally, as hard as it's going to be on me, I need to mend the broken relationship between my two best friends. Hands down, this is just how it has to be. Everything made sense when they were together. I question my feelings a lot but now that I'm being confronted with everything, how I feel no longer matters. I'm willing to get hurt in this process if it makes everyone else happy. Their happiness overshadows my own. I will do anything to make things right again.

Wow, Tai. When did you become so selfless?

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>As always, please review. On another note, this story can still go any way. Sorato or Taiora? Fair warning though, there will be other characters involved in this love triangle starting in the next chapter. Thank you!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer - You know, I really hate these things. Are they truly necessary if stated in previous chapters? I own nothing. Not Digimon, not Facebook, not xbox, not Call of Duty... nothing. I'm not sure what else is mentioned but those are the ones I can think of.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

_"If you keep something secret it's because you weren't supposed to be doing it in the first place." - David Nicholls._

* * *

><p>I have six weeks. Now the question is: how do you make two people fall back in love in six weeks?<p>

I got some pretty good news today, aside from my current situation. Mimi is moving back earlier than expected. She'll be here this weekend! I'm really excited because I haven't seen her since last summer. We've actually grown closer in the past year. We call each other often and always end up talking for hours.

I've let her in on everything that has happened recently. The break-up, the fight, my new-found freedom, etc. Like me, she was blown away when I told her how and why everything happened. She knew Sora was having mixed feelings but didn't know it went to that extreme.

I have to keep reminding myself that Sora and Mimi aren't as close of friends as they used to be. They still talk, sure, but when you only see someone once a year it kind of puts a hinder on the friendship. In the time that Mimi has been gone, Sora and Hikari have gotten pretty close, but even then Sora doesn't exactly tell Hikari everything that's going on. That's to be expected though. Mimi makes friends where ever she goes so it's not like she's exactly suffering. I guess it just goes to show that everyone has a lot going on in their lives.

So, with the news of Mimi arriving so soon, we've decided to take matters into our own hands and play matchmaker. We both know it's risky and could possibly blow up in our faces, but we're willing to take the chance.

But first things first. I have some friendships that need mending.

It's Wednesday again. School just let out for the day and the halls are pretty empty. I'm heading toward Dr. Anderson's room when something catches my attention. Two people are yelling, quite loudly I might add, and acting like no one else could possibly be within hearing distance. Or maybe they just don't care.

I poke my head around the corner and see Yamato and Sora standing there. They're arguing. Over what, I'm not sure. There's a lot of hands being thrown in the air and groans of frustration. They are not in a good place...

Okay, I know it's bad to eavesdrop, but they're kind of standing in the way of me getting to Dr. Anderson's office. So my choice is either wait it out or interrupt them. I choose plan A.

"Why are you getting so mad about this? _You _broke up with _me_, remember?" I hear Yamato say.

"I don't even care any more, Yamato. Do whatever you want. If you want to be with slutty girls then go for it. Who am I to stop you?" Sora replies.

"She threw herself at me! I'm the victim in this!"

"Right. _You're_ the victim. I saw you, Yamato. You were all over her too. It was not one-sided."

"What do you want from me, Sora? I'm _trying _to move on with my life. Isn't that what you want? You've obviously already moved on so why can't I?"

"You don't know anything, Yamato."

"I don't know anything? So, you're saying that you haven't moved on? Because I think you making out with Tai made that pretty damn clear."

I cringe. Why did he have to bring me into this?

"What are we hiding from?"

I slam up against some lockers with my heart racing, hoping I'm not loud enough to give myself away. Dr. Anderson is standing in front of me with her arms full of books and a puzzled look on her face.

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" I say in a hushed tone.

"I was just trying to figure out what you were doing," she responds.

"Keep your voice down, would you?"

She looks at me confused. I tell her to peek around the corner.

"Is that them?" She wonders, "Yamato and Sora?"

"Yeah."

"You know it's rude to eavesdrop."

"I know. I... I don't really want to interrupt them."

"They're in a public place. You're just as welcome to be here as they are."

"I don't want to fuel the fire, if you know what I mean. They seem pretty mad."

Dr. Anderson peeks around the corner again and just shrugs her shoulders, "They seem fine to me."

"What?"

I also look and see that Yamato has Sora pinned up against the lockers. They're holding each other in a pretty passionate looking kiss, with his hands entagled throughout her hair. My heart kind of sinks. It doesn't last very long though before she pushes him away.

"Stop trying to force this!" She yells and slaps him across the face. The sickening sound echoes throughout the halls.

He responds by kissing her again. I can see that she's struggling with herself. She wants to pull away but is having a hard time convincing herself to do so. She does finally manages to break free though.

I can see the tears falling from her eyes, "Just stop, okay? Just... stop."

She moves from under him and full-on runs in the opposite direction. Yamato stands there for a minute, not moving. Then he lets out some sort of frustrated growl/yell noise and punches his fist into the lockers. He storms away through a side door and that's the end of it.

"Can we move toward my office now? We're already fifteen minutes into our time," Dr. Anderson says.

"Yeah..." I reply, still distracted, "Sure."

* * *

><p>"She's pretty," Dr. Anderson says once we are in her office and the door is closed.<p>

"Did you expect her to be ugly?" I ask.

"No. Not by any means. I just had her pictured differently. More... blond; preppy, even. The red hair explains a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"She's obviously stubborn and refuses to listen to reason. It's something we fellow redheads share. We're feisty and have short tempers most of the time. Plus, we always think we're right."

I guess Dr. Anderson would know what that's all about, her being a red head too and all. Her hair isn't like Sora's though. Sora's hair is more of an auburn color. It used to be really bright red when she was younger but the older she gets, the darker her hair is. It's really pretty.

Dr. Anderson has what I've come to understand is strawberry blond hair. Red and blonde kind of mixed together. It's really bright. Plus, it's usually curly and up in a bun thing. It's not like Sora's hair at all.

"So, now that you've seen them... what do you think?" I ask her.

"We're not here to talk about me, Mr. Yagami. Did you do what I asked of you?"

I take the paper out of my bag and slide it across her desk. She puts it off to the side, laces her fingers together, and rests them under her chin.

"You're not going to read it?" I wonder.

"Not right now. Right now I want you to talk about them. What exactly happened out there just now?"

"I have no idea. I walked up at the end of it."

"Well, what did you get out of it?"

"Sora's angry because Yamato's trying to move on."

"I don't think either of them have moved on."

"I don't think so either."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where does that leave you? Obviously they still have feelings for each other, even if she's denying it. How does that make you feel?"

I sigh, "Honestly? I'm learning to be okay with it. My friend Mimi is moving here for the summer and she'll be here this weekend. We came up with a plan to get them back together. It's pretty full-proof. Legit, if you will."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's not really your place to meddle in other people's lives."

"Look, I'm just trying to get things back to the way they were. Back when everyone was happy. I've never seen Yamato or Sora happier than when they first started dating. I want them to find that happiness again."

She sighs, pulls the glasses of her face and begins a long speech, "Tai, let me tell you something about life. First off, you're young. Right now, every thing that happens feels like the end of the world. But that's part of the learning process as you get older. You may think that Yamato and Sora will only ever be happy if they're together but sometimes it's more complicated than that. They still have feelings for each other, anybody can see that. But you're all growing up. Maybe Sora is realizing that Yamato isn't the only person in this world that can make her happy. You're at an age where you're supposed to be dating around; meeting new people and having fun. She's moving, correct? Distance only makes a relationship harder. Especially when you're as young as you are. Perhaps she's trying to ease herself out of the situation to make things easier on everyone. You probably think she's being selfish but maybe, just maybe, she's trying to hurt Yamato so that it makes it easier for him to let her go. That means even if she hurts herself in the process."

"She's obviously not trying very hard to hurt him if she was just kissing him back."

"It's not always easy letting go of a serious relationship like that. I just think that you should consider both sides before you jump in and try to fix things that might not need fixing."

"But I just want them to be happy."

"Are you happy, Tai?"

"I'll be happy... if they're happy."

She just sighs again, "You're a very selfless person, Tai. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yeah, I came to that realization very recently actually."

"You're trying to fix everyone else's lives but I think you should focus on your own right now."

"It doesn't matter what I do, someone will end up getting hurt. Even if it's me I'm willing to sacrifice my own happiness for them. I've come to the conclusion that no matter what happens I can't hurt Yamato. He's my best friend and I just won't do that to him. Sora and I will never be together. It's just not in the cards for us."

"Are you sure about that?"

The bell indicating three thirty rings. I grab my things and walk toward the door.

"No session this Friday. I have a meeting so you're free for another week," Dr. Anderson says before I leave, "As always, have a nice weekend."

* * *

><p>I'm walking home that afternoon just thinking about everything. If I had known two months ago what I know now, I would have done something to change how the future would turn out. I would have never put myself in a situation to betray my best friend, I would have looked for the signs that screamed Sora was unhappy in her relationship, and above all, I would have stayed out of it and minded my own damn business.<p>

I find myself wandering. I'm not even heading in the direction of my home. Instead, I end up in the complete opposite direction of where I was planning to go. It takes me a minute but I realize I'm standing outside Sora's apartment complex. Subconsciously, my body has led me here without me even knowing it. I guess it's time to face her... granted she's even here after that fight with Yamato in the hallway.

I walk slowly up the stairs to her apartment, which is on the sixth floor. No need to take the elevator; it would only get me there faster.

I walk down the long hallway to her door, which is all the way at the end, and hesitate outside for a minute. I take in the familiar surroundings. The decorative plate above the door that says "The Takenouchi's", the flower arrangement outside the kitchen window, and even the brown mat that says "Welcome". It's been a while since I was last here, but everything still looks the same.

Finding the courage within me, I lightly rap on the door. I wait for a few moments but receive no response. Perhaps I didn't knock loud enough? I knock again, this time knowing that if someone were home they'd definitely hear it.

I expect Sora to answer, instead I come face-to-face with her mom. She smiles at me like nothing is wrong.

"Taichi!" She says pulling me into once of those I'm-your-friends-mom-but-we-should-hug-like-we're-friends-too kind of hugs. Awkward.

"Hey, Mrs. Takenouchi," I reply.

"How have you been? It's been so long since you were last here! I hope everything has been going well with you."

I assume right there that she has no idea what's been going on. She's completely oblivious to everything. Well, at least about what happened between Sora and me.

"I've been all right," I lie, "How about you?"

"Oh, I can't complain. Look at how rude I'm being. Come in, come in!"

I shake my head, "I just came here to see if Sora was around. I need to talk to her about something."

Her face falls, "No, she's not here. She never came home after school. She called to say she'd be late but didn't say where she was going. She's having a really hard time, what with us moving and all. Plus, I think her and Yamato are having problems. But I'm sure you already knew all of that."

I nod. Okay, she's _completely_ oblivious to everything.

"She could really use a friend right now," Mrs. Takenouchi says.

"I know," I reply, "That's what I'm here for."

She just smiles, "Well, if you find her tell her to give me a call. It was really great seeing you. Don't be a stranger."

"Yeah, sure."

I turn and walk away.

* * *

><p>This turned out to be a bust. Sora wasn't even home. All that built-up courage for nothing.<p>

Where could Sora be though? She's upset, that's obvious. Where would she go to escape from reality for a little while?

It suddenly hits me like a sack of bricks: the tree house.

Around Odaiba City Park lies a running trail that stretches about two and a half miles in a loop. Now, about half a mile on the trail there's a small pathway that branches off into the woods. It's not marked or anything; some kids probably cleared it out. But at the end of the (usually muddy) trail is a big open area that I'm pretty sure used to be used as a camp ground.

Well, in said area there is a tree house. I'm not really sure how it got there or why but it's a great place to go if you want some peace and quiet since not many people know of it's existence.

Back when Sora and I were ten or so, our parents decided to take us all on a family picnic in the park. Sora and I, being the little hellions that we were, decided to break away from the group and do our own thing. We ended up wandering through the woods and literally just stumbled upon it. This particular tree house can be attributed toward many winning games of hide and seek.

So, as we got older, the tree house took on a different kind of meaning. It turned into more of a refuge than anything else; a place to get away from our hectic lives and just think about things without any interruptions.

When Sora's parents considered divorce, she ended up running away and spent the entire night camped out there. When Hikari got really sick and almost died of pneumonia, I found myself there just thinking about why life was so unfair.

With everything that has been going on with Sora lately, I can't think of anywhere else she would be.

The park isn't far from Sora's apartment complex so I start jogging. I receive some interesting looks as I'm running, still fully clothed in my school uniform, but I don't care. I have to get to Sora before it gets dark and Mom calls wondering where I am. That, and it's about to rain so that might make things a little more complicated.

It takes me some time but I eventually make it to the tree house just as the rain starts to fall. I see no indication that anyone has been here recently but that doesn't mean she's not up there hiding.

"Sora?" I call out.

No answer.

I decide to take my chances and climb the ladder. I make it to the top and come face-to-face with a metal baseball bat. I duck just before it slams into the side of my head.

"Sora!" I shout as she swings again, "Stop, it's me!"

She hesitates and pulls the bat back, "Tai?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, obviously."

"How did you even know I was here?"

"Because I know you. You're predictable sometimes."

I laugh, mocking a line she previously used on me. I can see her roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Why do you have a bat?" I wonder.

"I'm in the middle of the woods. How else am I supposed to defend myself? What do you even want?" She wonders.

"I want to talk."

"Sorry, I'm not in the talking mood. You're shit out of luck."

"Well, then you can listen because I have some things I need to say."

* * *

><p><em>"<strong>Saturday, April 23 - About to pick up Mimi from the airport.<strong>_

_Sora and I finally talked. Well, I talked, she listened. Maybe.  
><em>

_I went to her home after Wednesday's session but she wasn't there. Her mom said she was having a hard time dealing with everything going on, so me, being the all-knowing best friend, figured out instantly where she was._

_There's this place that Sora and I go when we have questions about our sanity. It's a secret place; only the two of us know about it in our group of friends._

_Well, long story short, she was indeed there. After her initially attacking me (she thought I was a creeper... long story), I sat her down and made her listen. _

_I laid everything out on the line. I apologized for everything. For calling her a selfish bitch, for getting angry over her telling me she was moving... just everything. She didn't say much at all. She just sat there quietly, with her knees pulled up against her, listening... at least I hope she was listening and not just tuning me out._

_"Are you done now?" She asked once I finished talking.  
><em>

_"Yeah. I think so," I replied._

_"Good. You can leave now."_

_"That's it? After everything I said that's all you can say?"_

_"Goodbye, Taichi."_

_"Could you grow up for five seconds and have an adult conversation with me where you don't try to write me out of your life?"_

_"I have nothing to say to you."_

_"Damn it, Sora!" _

_I ended up punching the wall and I'm pretty sure I fractured a couple of fingers in the process. I didn't show it, but I was in a hell of a lot of pain. I should have used more words to resolve the conflict. Instead, I got angry... which seems to be the only thing going for me lately._

_"Whatever, Sora. When you grow up and decide to act like a mature adult then come find me. Until then, just keep doing what your doing. Oh, and by the way, immaturity is an ugly look for you."_

_After that I don't remember much. I stormed out of there, leaving her alone to enjoy her pity-party. She didn't come after me, even though I was kind of expecting her too. _

_So now I don't know what to do. I tried; at least I can say that much..._

_I just wish she wasn't so damn stubborn!"_

I save the document and head out the door. If anything, at least Mimi will take my mind off of things for a little while.

* * *

><p>I don't know what it is about airports but they're so incredibly boring to me. Mimi's flight was delayed an hour due to weather conditions so I've been sitting here doing nothing for almost two hours. I've mostly been playing games on my phone, scoping out snack venues, and people watching. So many people come in and out of the Tokyo airport. People from all over the world come and go through those gates. Some of them are interesting, others are ordinary, but most are business looking.<p>

"Flight 212 from New York unloading at Gate C. Again, flight 212 from New York is now unloading at Gate C," a voice announces over the intercom.

Finally! That means she'll be here shortly.

I stand. I am the sole person Mimi informed of her sudden change of plans. For whatever reason, she's entrusted me to keep it a secret. She said she wants to surprise everyone. They'll be surprised all right...

There are others standing with me; waiting for friends or loved ones. I see their faces light up as the person they're expecting comes walking through the gate. I don't see Mimi right away, but I hear a squeal and know without a doubt that she has seen me.

I'm almost knocked over when she wraps her arms around my neck. She's squealing in excitement and I'm trying to catch my balance. Needless to say, I lose it and we both go toppling to the ground. I can see the looks people are giving us. Mostly they're looks of adoration; like Mimi and I are star-cross lovers that haven't seen each other in a really long time. It's that same look people give when someone from the military comes home to their loved ones.

"What a cute couple..." I hear a woman say as she walks by.

I smile and laugh as I help Mimi up off the floor where we embrace in a real hug that doesn't involve falling to the ground.

"I am so happy to see you!" Mimi says as she wraps her arm through mine, "Come on, we have so much to talk about."

* * *

><p>We pick up Mimi's luggage, which happens to be four suitcases and two travel bags. She tells me that the rest of her things are being shipping to arrive Monday but what she brought on the plane is "essential". Essential in terms of Mimi probably means everything from hair dryers to clothes to shoes... and everything in between. I can only imagine how much money it costed to ship that many bags on one plane.<p>

I have a hard time fitting the bags in my car. It takes a lot of shifting and moving but we eventually got it all in. It's too much crap if you ask me. Typical Mimi...

"Do you have any plans tonight?" Mimi asks as we're driving to the condo she's staying in for the summer. It's actually her family's condo; they just rent it out when Mimi's not using it during her annual summer visits.

"None to speak of," I reply.

"Good. I say we order take out and watch a ton of awful movies. Maybe get a bottle of tequila and some beer."

I smirk and shaking my head, "Mimi, has anyone ever told you that you're awesome?"

I see her smile in my peripheral vision, "Once or twice."

We both laugh. Man, I've missed her. A lot more than I realized.

She's changed since the last time I saw her. For starters, her hair is a different color; like usual. When I saw her last summer her hair was chocolate brown with honey brown highlights (For the record, the only reason I know that is because I heard her explain it to someone). Now, her hair is light brown with blond highlights and streaks of light pink and black here and there. Now, I'm not usually into the ecstatic hair colors - like when she dyed her hair hot pink, that was a nightmare - but this... this look is pretty sexy. I mean, it is totally working for her. She also has a nice tan and has ditched the preppy school-girl look for a more alternative, skinny jeans and graphic tee's style. Okay, she looks hot. There, I admit it.

"You might want to try watching the road before you run into someone," Mimi says coolly when she catches me staring.

I blush, "Sorry, got distracted."

"Yeah, I've heard that once or twice too."

Always so cocky. She's good-looking and she knows it. At least she hasn't let it get to her head... yet.

I pull the car into the parking lot of her condo and I'm in awe. The place is huge. Lifestyles of the rich and famous, I guess. Surprisingly, as many times as she's come to stay in Japan over the summer, I've never actually been to this place. Then again, I guess I haven't dedicated as much time to Mimi when she's home as I should have. Sadly, I've been too stuck up Sora and Yamato's asses to really go out of my way for anyone else.

"I have to go check in with the office to get my keys. Come with me?" She asks, holding out her hand, all the while smiling at me.

"What, you expect me to stay here and watch the car?" I reply sarcastically and she just laughs.

I reach out and grab her hand. My heart skips a beat as our skin touches. What was that? I quickly shake it off and let her drag me into the front office.

The woman at the front desk greets us with a smile, "Miss Tachikawa! It's so good to see you again. I was told you'd be arriving today. I'll be right back with your keys."

She walks away leaving Mimi and I standing there. Even in the lobby I feel like I'm standing in a five-star hotel. How much money do Mimi's parents have again?

"Here you go," the desk woman returns and hands the keys to Mimi.

"Thank you!" Mimi replies with a dazzling smile. I'm mesmerized momentarily. Her smile is so beautiful...

She grabs onto my arm again and pulls me out the door, breaking my trance. I shake the thought off. I think this whole Sora thing is messing with my head. I'm so desperate for female companionship I'm suddenly entranced by everything Mimi does. I need to stop.

* * *

><p>It takes us three trips, but we finally manage to get all of Mimi's luggage up to her top-floor condo (more like penthouse). Like I suspected, the place is huge. Yeah, shocker.<p>

The front door opens up to a huge living room, completely furnished, of course. There's a massive kitchen with an island, stainless-steel appliances, and bar with padded chairs. I see fully-stocked liquor cabinets above the stove. I then wonder if they charge the people that stay here to drink the stuff kind of like in a hotel. What a killing they'd make. So yeah, big living room, big kitchen... there's three bedrooms and three bathrooms. Mimi stays in the master bedroom which consists a king-sized bed, dresser and end tables, flat screen TV, love seat, and full bathroom. I think my favorite part of the whole place is the patio outside. It overlooks the ocean.

"It's beautiful, huh?" Mimi asks, joining me outside.

The sun is just beginning to set over the water, making the sky turn all different shades of pink and orange. Oh, the things you miss out on when you've been grounded for two months.

"What are you in the mood for?" I hear her ask.

"Huh?" I reply.

She laughs, "For dinner, silly. What are you hungry for?"

"Oh. Anything is fine."

"Pizza it is."

"Sounds good to me."

She walks inside, calls for pizza, and grabs a blanket. As the sun sets, the temperature drops; especially this close to the ocean. She sits on a padded bench and pats the spot next to her indicating she wants me to join her. I don't think twice and sit with her on the chair. She hands over half the blanket and we end up sitting there - in silence - as we watch the sun completely disappear over the edge of the ocean.

It's so nice; relaxing with someone like this. Mimi is the first person I've gotten to hang out with one-on-one since before I was grounded. I'm glad it's with her too. She's an old friend and it's nice to reconnect.

I feel her head fall on my shoulder. I see her smile which makes me feel better. It's good to know that I can bring happiness to at least one person.

"You should stay the night," she says softly.

I don't know why her comment has me blushing. Mimi's just a friend. Why all of a sudden am I finding myself blushing and unable to speak full sentences to her? We've always, _always_, had a flirty relationship. Hell, sometimes we even make dirty comments to each other, making those around us uncomfortable. I've heard "get a room" spoken more than once in our presence. It's never been anything but harmless fun... or so I thought.

I can't have feelings for Mimi. Now or ever. Koushiro has never said it out loud but I know he's always had a thing for Mimi. He plays it off well but I know better. He'd be crushed if Mimi and I were to ever... no. I won't even go there. She probably just doesn't want to be alone tonight, what with it being her first night in town. I'll stay, but I'm sleeping on the couch. Alone. No cuddling or closeness like right now.

"What would I tell my mom?" I ask.

She shrugs, "Say you're staying with Yamato or something."

I scoff, "Yeah, then she'll definitely know I'm lying."

"Oh, yeah. Oops. Well, I don't know say you're staying at Koushiro's for a guys night. She likes him."

"Good point."

So that's where it started. The little white lie that somehow turned into a huge secret that no one can ever find out about. If what happened tonight ever got out... I probably wouldn't have any friends left.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Dun, dun, dun! Oh, lawdy. What has Tai done now? So... is it too soon to tell or is this love triangle soon going to turn into a love square? I know there aren't many Michi fans out there... but they are one of my favorite couples. The story isn't over until it's over. Anyone can be hooking up at this point. Well, enough rambling, review!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<br>**

_"If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?" - Unknown  
><em>

* * *

><p>It's Monday. I haven't been able to concentrate all day. My leg has been doing this annoying twitch that I can't seem to control. When I realize I'm doing it and stop myself, I end up tapping my fingers on my desk and get yelled at by my teacher for causing a distraction.<p>

I cannot stop thinking about this past weekend. I've been avoiding everyone all day for fear that my indiscretions will slip out of my mouth like word vomit. I have a very guilty conscious.

Mimi is acting like nothing's wrong. She's going on with her day pretending like nothing even happened; like what we did was second nature to her. Why can't I train my mind to believe the same thing? I'm the one making things awkward. She hasn't made any indication of guilt or regret. That makes me feel worse.

The bell finally rings, letting us leave for the day. I can't handle it any more. I grab my school bag and literally run to Dr. Anderson's office. I am very much aware that we don't have a scheduled session today but I need someone to talk to. I have to tell someone what happened.

I see Koushiro and Daisuke standing in my path to her office and try to turn around but they've already seen me. Daisuke is waving me over; Koushiro just smiles.

"Where have you been all day?" Daisuke asks, "You totally flaked on us at lunch."

"Oh," I reply trying to think of something to say, "Yeah, I had some things I had to take care of. Therapy rescheduling and what not."

They don't even question it. Why would they? I don't usually lie to anyone.

"Where are you heading now? Want to go over to the park and play some soccer? I've got a couple of guys rounded up. Koushiro here is even willing to give it a shot," Daisuke laughs.

"I'm not very good but my mom thinks I need to find a hobby. Apparently staring at a computer screen too long can lead to life-long eye problems or so she says. She's limiting my computer time now. I feel like an addict going through withdrawls so I need distraction," Koushiro says.

I can't even bring myself to look Koushiro in the eyes. I avert his gaze and quickly excuse myself.

"Sorry guys," I say, "I really can't today. I have to get going."

"Well, if you change your mind you know where to find us!" Daisuke calls after me. I wave in response and disappear around a corner.

I finally make it to Dr. Anderson's room without any more encounters. The door is shut. I look through the blinds and see another student sitting in the chair that I usually sit in. He's fiddling his thumbs and looks bored. It's a perfect opportunity to interrupt.

I knock loudly on the door; not stopping until she throws it open with an exasperated look on her face. The kid in the chair stares at me with raised eyebrows, probably wondering what part of the school is burning down.

"Mr. Yagami, what's the problem?" She asks confused.

"I need to talk to you," I say quickly.

"I'm in the middle of a session. You're not scheduled today anyways. We'll talk Wednesday."

She goes to shut the door but I put my foot in the way to block it.

"Mr. Yagami, I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I have to call for someone to escort you from the school grounds," Dr. Anderson threatens.

"I had sex with Mimi!" I blurt out, covering my mouth quickly with my hands.

I see the eyes of the guy in the chair light up. He's definitely interested in what's going on now. People walking by literally stop and give me weird looks. I ignore them all.

"Mr. Yagami-"

"Please?" I beg, giving my best look of innocence.

She considers it for a minute and then turns to the other boy, "Kyle, do you mind?"

"Not at all! I want to hear about this Mimi chick!" He responds.

"No, I mean you're dismissed for the day."

"Oh, even better!" He grabs his things and pushes past us, "See you tomorrow!"

Dr. Anderson is not happy with me. I can almost see her holding back from chewing me out for interrupting her session.

I walk in the room and she shuts the door behind us. She falls into her chair and lifts her eyebrows, ready for me to talk.

"Who is Mimi?" She asks.

"Do you even listen when I actually tell you things?" I ask rudely, "She's my friend that moved to New York but moved back for the summer. The one that wants to travel the world? I mentioned this the last time we talked."

"Oh, yes. I remember now. So, what happened that you couldn't wait until Wednesday to tell me about?"

"We had sex."

"Yeah, I heard that part. I think half the school heard that part. Why is it such a big deal?"

"It shouldn't have even happened! Mimi is my friend; just my friend! If you thought I was confused before, I'm practically out of my mind now! I don't even know how or why it happened. I picked her up from the airport - like I'd been planning to do all week - then we went to her condo, watched the sunset, ate dinner, had some drinks, and then I woke up naked next to her. With a really bad hangover I might add."

"If you were intoxicated how do you even know you slept with her?"

"Oh, believe me, I remember enough. I hate myself for admitting this, but it was... phenomenal. She can do this thing where she twists her body around while she's on top and-"

"Ah!" She says throwing a hand up, cutting me off, "I do not need details! If you say you did then I believe you. For the sake of my sanity, please, do not go into extensive detail."

"The thing is... being with Mimi - physically, mentally, emotionally - it felt... right. But it can't feel right when what I did is so wrong!"

"Why is it so wrong what you did? I mean, besides having pre-marital sex, which you shouldn't be doing anyways. But I know that asking teenagers not to have sex is like asking a dog not to wag it's tail. Does she have a boyfriend back home?"

"No, but-"

"Is she an ex-girlfriend of one of your friends?"

"Not exactly, but-"

"Then what is the problem?"

"I have this friend, Koushiro, and he likes her. He's never said it out loud, but I know he does. You should see how happy he is when she's around. It's like he's on cloud nine. Koushiro is a really great guy and a really good friend and something like this... this would just crush him. I feel so guilty and I'm so disgusted with myself I can hardly handle it. If I know that Koushiro likes her, and I continue doing what I'm doing, it makes me no better than Yamato."

The mention of Yamato throws a whole other wrench into the problem.

"Yamato knew you had feelings for Sora, didn't he? But he went behind your back and asked her out first," she states.

"I never said out loud that I wanted to be with Sora. It was always kind of just an unspoken attraction. Yamato should have known. He should have picked up on it just like I did with Koushiro. Best friends should just know things like that. Except now I've gone and screwed everything up. Everyone is going to find out and they're all going to hate me. I can't handle losing all of my friends over something I regret."

"How are they going to find out unless you or Mimi tell them?"

"Have you not been listening for the past ten minutes? I have a guilty conscious. I can't keep anything secret for very long."

"Why do you think you and Mimi did what you did?"

"I have no idea. She asked me to stay the night with her on a whim. I should have known from that moment that nothing good would come of that situation. She gets lonely... hell, we both do. She's still friends with all of us... but that friendship only goes so far when you only see someone once a year. Mimi and Sora are close friends but lately they haven't been talking as much. If Sora knew that I slept with Mimi-"

"Why do you care so much what Sora thinks?" She asks cutting me off, "She obviously hasn't been taking your feelings into consideration at all so I don't understand why you're always so concerned with what she thinks."

I have to think about that for a minute. Why _do_ I care so much what Sora thinks? She hasn't been giving a crap about me at all lately. She's the one who won't talk to me, she's the one that instigates all of our fighting, and she's the one that started the whole mess between Yamato and I in the first place. She's the instigator!

"She's the instigator," I say out loud.

I see Dr. Anderson's lip tweak like she's happy I finally figured it out.

"How long have you known?" I ask her.

"Probably since the first day you finally opened up about her. You're making yourself feel guilty because of how you think others will respond to your actions. You need to stop caring so much what everyone else thinks and just live your life. If you feel that guilty about having slept with Mimi then you need to confront Koushiro yourself before he finds out through someone else. I can tell you right now he's not going to hate you. You're a very honest person, Tai. You try to find the good in everyone and try to fix everyone else's problems. I can honestly say that _you_ are the victim in all of this. Sora is setting you up to be the victim. What's happening between her and Yamato is not your fault; it never was and never will be. Their problems are their problems. You're making yourself a victim by thinking that your actions are going to hurt Koushiro. First off, you don't even know for sure that Koushiro has feelings for Mimi. You're going based on what you think. For all you know, he could just like spending time with her; as a platonic friend. Now let me ask you this: has Mimi ever openly admitted to having feelings for Koushiro or anyone else that you consider a good friend?"

"No."

"And didn't you say in your first entry that you and Mimi used to date?"

"Yeah, but that was when we were like fourteen and it didn't last very long. It doesn't really count."

"Then there is no problem here. Koushiro won't step into that territory. If you dated Mimi in the past he will never act upon his feelings; granted there are any. Do you want to know why? Because you had feelings for her first. I was eighteen once too you know. If I remember correctly, friends don't date friends ex's. Am I right?"

She _is_ right. Why did I never see it before? I've been beating myself up ever since I woke up Sunday morning and for what? Even if Koushiro does have a crush on Mimi he'll never tell anyone or even act upset if he found out what happened. Why? _Because I dated her first. _Guy code says that I claim right to her, as twisted as that is. He knows that. I know that. Everyone knows that.

"I'm telling the Principal you deserve a raise," I say.

I actually manage to make her laugh. It's nice seeing her not so serious for once.

"I still feel guilty, but not because of Koushiro. I feel guilty because I feel like I was using Mimi to fill some void ever since Sora stopped talking to me," I admit.

"You got lonely. It happens. Have you talked to Mimi since it happened?" She wonders.

"Sort of. She's called a couple of times but I don't say much. She hasn't even mentioned it. I think she feels weird about it like I do."

"I want you to try something for me. In your next entry I want you to start every sentence with "I am" and see what you can come up with. Just state facts."

"Okay... that's really random. Can I ask why?"

"I think you might realize a little bit more about yourself than you do right now. Believe me, it'll help."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

I stand to leave but she stops me at the door, "I still want your side of the story."

I smirk, "You'll get your story soon enough."

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Monday, April 25. After school, 4:00ish.<br>**_

_This is the "I am" ramble. I still haven't figured out why I'm being asked to do this but here it goes..._

_I am... Yagami Taichi._

_I am eighteen years old._

_I am more or less obsessed with soccer. (Definitely more)  
><em>

_I am a senior at Odaiba High School._

_This seems too easy. What do you want to know, Dr. Anderson?_

_I am... lonely._

_I am a fighter._

_I am confused._

_I am easily manipulated.  
><em>

_I am really bad at controlling my temper._

_I am sad._

_I am a victim._

_I am having a really hard time with the fact that Sora won't talk to me._

_I am going to try and mend my relationship with Yamato._

_I am going to stop caring so much what everyone thinks._

_I am an idiot to think that I can fix everyone else's problems._

_I am going to try and make things not so awkward with Mimi._

_I am going to try to come to terms with my feelings._

_I am going to tell Koushiro what happened... eventually.  
><em>

_I am hoping Mimi and I don't turn into "friends with benefits"._

_I am hoping I don't break her heart._

_I am hoping I don't get heartbroken in this whole process._

_I am trying to put the past behind me._

_I am going to try and use words before I start throwing punches._

_I am missing Sora._

_I am missing her smile, her laugh, her scent._

_I am missing everything about her._

_I am blinded._

_I am selfish._

_I am wrong._

_I am guilty.  
><em>

_I am flawed._

_I think I'm in love..._

_I am._

_Oh. Wow."_

I lean back from the computer screen. I can't believe I just admitted that. I'm in love with my best friend. But I've known that for a while. But it doesn't even matter. Guy code says that Yamato was there first so I can't do anything about it. I hate guy code...

My phone starts ringing, completely catching me off guard. It's Mimi.

"Hey, Meems," I answer.

"Hey, Tai..." she replies, "Listen, I think we need to talk about what happened the other night."

I knew this was coming.

"Yeah, sure. Want me to come over?"

"Yeah. We can get dinner or something."

"Sounds good. See you soon."

I hang up the phone and save my computer document. I walk out of my room and see Hikari and Takeru in the living room watching TV; Mom's in the kitchen cooking. I've been so consumed with all of my own personal issues lately, I haven't even been paying attention to anything else.

"Hey, Tai," Takeru says with a wave.

"Hey," I reply, putting on my shoes.

"Where are you off to?" Hikari wonders.

I don't want to lie to her but Mimi made me promise not to tell anyone she's in town. She's supposed to be surprising everyone this weekend.

"Just out," I reply, "I need to clear my head."

It's not exactly a lie. Right?

"Will you be home for dinner?" My mom asks from the kitchen.

"Probably not," I respond.

"Be home by nine please."

"Yes ma'am."

I open the door to leave and nearly crap my pants at who is standing there. Why do people I don't want to see keep randomly showing up on my doorstep? They're coming here like lost puppies.

"Oh, hey, Tai," Sora says wide-eyed. Her hand is up in the air like she was about to knock just as I opened the door.

"Sora?" I say, confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, I was in the neighborhood so I thought I'd stop by."

"Sora."

"Walk with me?"

Sora looks beautiful. Sad and tired, but beautiful nonetheless. She has on a pair of jeans and the red sweater I bought her for Christmas last year. I also notice the heart necklace Yamato got her that Christmas they started dating hanging around her neck. She never takes it off. Considering everything that's been happening, I'm shocked she hasn't burned my sweater or that necklace yet.

I agree to walk with her but I don't know why. If I was smart I would tell her to eff off and make her feel guilty for once, but I'm not that kind of person.

"How have you been?" She starts.

"I can't complain," I respond, sticking my hands in my pockets and staring at the sidewalk.

"That's good."

"Is there a reason you showed up on my doorstep today or did you simply just want my company?"

I'm tired of sugar-coating everything. I'm going to get straight to the point and get this over with.

"Tai, I want to apologize," she says, avoiding my gaze.

"Your apologizes haven't been meaning too much here lately."

"I know. I've been a really bad friend and I'm sorry for that."

"And?"

"And I'm sorry for making you feel like everything is your fault when nothing is your fault. I've been going through so much lately. Yamato and I are having problems, I'm moving, us walking on eggshells all the time... it's killing me, Tai."

I don't say anything. I honestly have nothing to say. She's in the wrong, not me.

"And I'm also sorry for being such a bitch. If it's any consolation at all, I really miss you. It's been hard not having you around. I feel like everything is falling apart and I don't know if I can ever fix that. I've made so many mistakes and now I'm paying for them. I'm not asking for your forgiveness. If I was you, I wouldn't forgive me either. I just want you to know that I really am sorry. I can't really do anything to prove that to you and I wish there was a less cliche word for sorry but I haven't found one. You're a good person and you don't deserve what I've been putting you through."

I can see that she is telling the truth. She genuinely is sorry for how she's been acting. Sora is not a bad person. Deep down, she has a kind heart. I think she's just got a lot going on right now and doesn't know how to deal with it.

"Sora, I-"

I'm cut off when my phone starts ringing in my pocket. I sigh and pull it out. It's Mimi.

"Hello?" I answer.

"I'm not trying to be a pain but how long will it be before you get here? I need to shower and I don't want you to show up and me not hear you knock," Mimi says.

"Go ahead and shower. I'll be there in thirty."

"Okay. See you then."

"Yeah, see you soon."

I hang up the phone and notice Sora staring at me, a questioning look on her face.

"Who was that?" She wonders.

"Don't worry about it," I tell her, "Listen, I was actually on my way out when you showed up. I kind of need to get going; she's waiting for me."

I see her flinch at the mention that I was talking to another girl. I have to resist smiling. Who has the power now?

"Yeah, sure," she says and smiles like it's no big deal, "I shouldn't have just shown up like I did. Sorry about that. Um, well I'll leave you be. Call me later, maybe?"

"Maybe," I reply. But we both know I won't.

"Okay. Well, goodbye, Tai."

I nod and she hesitates for a minute. I can see it in her eyes that she's screaming for me to wrap her in a hug and tell her that everything is going to be okay. I can't bring myself to do it. I can't bring myself to feel any sort of sympathy for her. Is this how it feels to finally not give a shit?

She finally admits defeat and leaves. I can't stop myself from watching her walk away. It's kind of a metaphor for my life right now. Everyone is fading away... all of our friendships, relationships, etc. are unraveling right now. I still want to fix everything but maybe it's not exactly a priority any more. This is what happens when you grow up. Friends come and go and some times you just have to accept that.

* * *

><p>I show up at Mimi's exactly thirty minutes later. She answers the door, still wrapped in a towel, and I can't help but blush because of it.<p>

"Make yourself at home," she says and walks down the hallway.

I see that the rest of Mimi's stuff showed up today. There are boxes all over the place. Some are broken in to, others still taped up. She has random things scattered around the condo. It's kind of a mess. The place actually looks lived-in now.

"You can come in here and keep me company if you want!" I hear Mimi shout from her bedroom.

I get up from the couch and walk down the hallway, praying she's not naked. Bad things tend to happen when Mimi's naked.

I enter her room and she's actually in the bathroom. The door is mostly shut, only a small crack to see in. I get on her bed and sit cross-legged and turn on the TV.

"How was school today?" She asks casually.

"Eh, it's school," I reply, omitting the fact that I couldn't concentrate at all.

She laughs, "Yeah, I'm glad it's finally over. For me, I mean."

"Must be nice."

She walks out of the bathroom and I do a double take. She's dressed, barely, in a lacy pair of cheek-hugger panties and a matching bra. She just casually walks by me, not caring that she's not even decently dressed. I can't help myself watch as she bends over to get something out of the bottom drawer of her dresser. She stands upright and turns to me. I try to look away but I know she's caught me staring.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" She asks in a seductive tone that I wish she hadn't.

"Right now? Yes," I admit, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Tai."

"Yeah?" I'm still avoiding eye contact.

"Tai."

Still avoiding...

"Tai!"

Her change of tone makes me look up.

"Calm down," she says trying not to laugh.

"Sorry," I reply.

"Tai, we had sex. It's really not that big of a deal. Remember the part where we lost our virginity to each other when we were fourteen? It was not our first time. Stop making it so awkward. You saw me a lot more naked than this the other night."

Well, she has a good point. We did in fact lose our virginity to each other when we were fourteen. I don't exactly like to admit that I've been sexually active since such a young age because most people frown upon it. None of our friends even know that we did.

She walks over to the edge of the bed and grabs both sides of my face. Her eyes are beautiful. They're hazel. I can see a hint of green in them today. It's mesmerizing. She also has cute freckles on her nose that I've never noticed before.

"It was just sex," she repeats, "It's only awkward if you make it that way."

"Sorry, I'm trying not too," I reply.

"You know what the best cure is for making it not awkward any more?"

"What?"

She leans forward and locks her lips with mine. Her hands begin to tangle through my hair. This is hot...

After a couple of minutes she pulls away. She puts her hands on her hips and gives a lop-sided smile, "Distraction. I bet you're not thinking it's awkward any more, huh?"

Nope. Definitely not awkward. If anything, she's left me wanting more. Now she's just teasing me. That's not fair.

"Wipe that goofy smile off your face, Yagami. You're starting to freak me out," Mimi says with a laugh as she playfully slaps my cheek. I reach up and grab her hand; our eyes locked.

I don't even know what happens next. One minute I'm staring at Mimi - half naked - the next she's actually naked and on top of me. Within minutes I'm naked too. The fact that Mimi can get me undressed so quickly _almost_ makes me question how many times she's done this before. Almost.

What is happening here? The first time was acceptable. We were drunk, so that's the excuse I'm sticking to. Now, we're both sober and doing it just because we're... what? Bored? Something in the back of my head is screaming at me that this is wrong and I shouldn't be doing it. You're not supposed to have sex with your friends. Not casually like we're doing at least. Doesn't that break some sort of girl/boy friend code?

When it's over, some time later, I'm left trying to catch my breath. Beads of sweat have formed all over my body; soaking the sheets that I'm tangled up in. I know there's a smile on my face. Sex is such a good tension release. If I had known that, I'd have been doing it a lot more often. Just kidding.

"That was..." Mimi says next to me, breathing heavy as well.

"Yeah," is all I can think to reply with.

"That'll do pig, that'll do," she says, patting my stomach and rolling out of the bed.

I'm laughing at her comment as well as her appearance. Her cheeks are flushed, she's sweaty, and her hair is tangled and sticking out in every direction. She's a hot mess and I'm loving it. Oh yes.

"Now I need to shower again," she laughs, "Care to join me?"

"Mimi, what are you trying to do to me?"

"We're just having fun, baby. Don't go falling in love with me just yet..."

She winks and disappears behind the bathroom door. I lay there for a minute but end up joining her. What the hell happened to my self control? Oh, wait. I'm an eighteen year old teenage boy. I have no damn self control.

What we're doing is wrong on so many levels. I can't even explain why it keeps happening. The only part of this that is helping is knowing that it's distracting me from everything currently going on in my life. Maybe that's what she's trying to do: distract me. It's the only way I seem to have any fun lately. Who knew?

I'll probably regret this again in the morning but right now I don't care. Ignorance is bliss, and I'm a sucker for it.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>All right haters. Don't leave negative comments they will be deleted. I am very much aware that Michi is not one of the more popular couples out there but just remember the story is not over yet. There is a lot more to come. Thanks!<br>**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - I do not own Digimon. I also do not own Call of Duty or xbox 360. Fair enough.**

Author's Note: _Wow! I'm really impressed by the amount of reviews I'm receiving for this story! I really appreciate all the feedback! It's nice to have such a successful story. I just want everyone to remember that while there are certain people hooking up right now it does not necessarily mean it's going to end in that favor. It might, it might not. Don't freak out just yet. Thank you!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

_"If someone wants to be part of your life, they'll make an effort to be in it. Don't bother reserving a space in your heart for someone who doesn't make an effort to stay."  
><em>

* * *

><p>By the time Wednesday rolls around I can hardly wait to talk to Dr. Anderson. I catch myself smiling for no reason lately. It's as if all of my problems have been locked up in a box and put on a shelf to deal with later. It's nice to escape reality for a little while.<p>

It's only two fifteen by the time I reach Dr. Anderson's office. She's not here yet so I stand outside the door and wait. I decide to check my phone. There's a text message from Mimi.

_What time are you free? I have to get some stuff for the condo. Care to join me? _It says.

I'm smiling again.

"Wipe that stupid look off your face, Yagami. It might get stuck like that."

I look up to see Yamato walking my way, a sly smile on his face. I find it odd that he's going out of his way to come talk to me. He hasn't talked to me since he showed up at my house the other day. Are we okay now or what?

"Who are you talking to anyways? New girlfriend?" Yamato asks trying to snatch my phone.

"Hey, now," I smirk pulling my hand away before he can grab it, "If you can have secrets then so can I."

"All right, all right. Fair enough. What are you doing just standing here anyways?"

I point to the door marked** Dr. Anderson - school counselor**, "Therapy session. Every Wednesday and Friday from two thirty until three thirty."

I see a look of - what: regret? guilt? - cross his face, "Oh, yeah. Sorry again."

"No need to apologize. It's actually not so bad. She talks, I listen."

He laughs, "Cool. Well, hey, since I've got you. This weekend. Have any plans?"

"Not exactly. Why?"

"Big party at my mom's place Friday night. I want you to come."

"Oh, Yama, I don't know..."

"Come on, Tai. Please? It'll be fun. Just like old times."

Well, Mimi _is_ supposed to be making her sudden presence known this weekend. What better way to do that then by bringing her to a party where everyone will be anyways?

"Sure. Sounds great," I say.

He smiles, "Awesome. It's going to be great. Everyone is planning to be there."

"Mr. Yagami," I hear Dr. Anderson say, making both of us jump.

"Do you, like, materialize out of thin air?" I say holding my racing heart, "Warn a guy before you sneak up on him like that. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," she says and unlocks the door, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, right. Um, Dr. Anderson, this is Ishida Yamato. Yama, meet my therapist," I say, even though she already knows who he is.

She holds out a hand and Yamato shakes it, "Nice to meet you, Yamato. You ready, Tai?"

"Right. Well," I say directing my attention to Yamato, "I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you."

He nods to Dr. Anderson and walks away, disappearing around a corner. I join her in the room.

"So," she begins, "What's happening this weekend?"

"Isn't it rude to eavesdrop?" I say sarcastically with a smirk.

"Very funny. What's this weekend?"

"Yamato's having a party."

"Will there be alcohol at said party?"

"I don't know. More than likely. Why?"

"Besides the obvious fact that you're underage, do you think that's a good idea given the current circumstances?"

"I don't think it'll be so bad. Granted Sora's not there, even though I'm sure she will be. Speaking of Sora, she came to my house the other night."

Her eyes brighten, "Really. What for?"

"To apologize."

"What was she apologizing for?"

"For being a bitch. Excuse the language."

"I see. So, what else is happening in the life of Yagami Taichi? Any new developments with Mimi?"

There I go smiling again.

"I'll take that as a yes," she says, "Have you talked to Koushiro yet?"

Now I'm frowning, "Not exactly. Oh, that reminds me!" I pull the "I am" ramble out of my bag and slide it over to her. I wait a few minutes for her to read over it. I don't know why but her facial expressions never change so it's hard to get a grasp on what she's thinking.

"Does this all stand true even today?" She wonders.

"Yeah. I think so. I'd probably be lying if I said it didn't."

"So, where does Mimi tie into all of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I finally got you to admit that you're in love with Sora. That was the whole point of this. Now, what about Mimi?"

"What about Mimi?"

"Are you happy with her?"

"Mimi and I aren't together if that's what you're implying."

"Have you seen her since I talked to you last?"

"Uh, yeah about that..."

Her eyebrows raise in concern, waiting for me to go into further detail.

"We kind of..." I make my two index fingers bump together a couple of times to give her a slight visual, "...more than once. Not including the first time from this past weekend."

She shakes her head in disbelief, "What was the reason this time?"

"Um, distraction?"

"Oh, to be young again."

"Look," I say leaning forward in my chair, "I like Mimi, okay? But I'm not looking for anything serious and neither is she. We're just having fun. We just so happen to be two lonely people that somehow stumbled upon each other in a moment of vulnerability. She just got out of a bad relationship a couple months ago and I- well, you know what's been happening with me."

"Does she know how you feel about Sora?"

"I... no. I don't think so."

"So is it fair to Mimi that you're having such strong feelings for someone else while being physically intimate with her?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"I think Mimi just threw a whole other issue into your current state of affairs."

"Why do you think that?"

She holds up the "I am" ramble and begins quoting my words, "Quote, "I am hoping Mimi and I don't turn into friends with benefits" unquote. Quote, "I am hoping I don't break her heart" unquote," She puts the paper back down and raises her eyebrows again, waiting for my reply.

"But how can I break Mimi's heart if we're both not committing to anything?"

"Has she actually said out loud that she wants nothing more from this then a random hook up every time you see each other?"

"Not exactly, no."

"Sadly, I think one of you might get hurt in the process."

"Why do you always have to be right?"

"I didn't spend eight years in school for nothing," she says with an all-knowing smile.

The bell for three thirty begins to ring. Once again, the hour has flown by and I can't believe it's already time for me to go. It's okay though, Mimi and I have plans tonight so at least I have something to look forward too.

"She needs to know how you feel about Sora. Have a good day, Mr. Yagami."

* * *

><p>I get home around four and see my sister and Takeru sitting on the couch playing a game on xbox. He's been trying to teach her how to play Call of Duty; I'm not sure she's actually getting it though. They both turn my way and I receive smiles on both ends.<p>

"Has Takeru moved in recently and I wasn't aware of it? I don't mind I'm just honestly curious," I ask. He's been spending a lot of time at our home recently. When I say a lot, I mean every single day for what seems like the past week.

Hikari laughs and Takeru shakes his head responding with, "My mom is out of town until next week so Yamato has been staying with me. Every other word out of his mouth in some way relates to Sora. It's depressing."

"Yeah," Hikari continues, "He's been trying to spend as much time away from Yamato as possible."

"I can only listen to so much about Sora. And it's not like it's any new information; it's just all the same things over and over again. 'Why doesn't she want to be with me?', 'Why doesn't she love me any more?', 'I think she's not telling me everything.' Blah, blah, blah. It's kind of getting annoying, actually."

I just laugh. I guess Yamato's worse off than I originally thought. Poor Takeru. He's stuck listening to that all the time. I'd be making excuses for not ever coming home too. Luckily for Hikari, I don't make my issues known out loud so she never has to hear about it.

"Is mom home?" I wonder.

"No. She's at some pottery class or something. Her and Dad have a date tonight so they said to just order out. What are you in the mood for?" Hikari asks.

"You and Takeru get whatever. I won't be home," I say.

Takeru laughs, "He spends about as much time at home as I do here recently. Enjoying that new-found freedom to its fullest, huh?"

I shrug, "Something like that."

"Who are you hanging out with everyday?" Hikari asks curiously.

I wink, "You'll find out soon enough."

"Ohhh, Tai's got a girlfriend," Takeru mocks.

Hikari's eyes widen, "Do you really?"

I shake my head, "Not quite, young friends."

"You sure are spending a lot of time with someone who's just a friend. It is a girl, right?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. Do we know her?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God, if you say it's Sora I'm going to officially lose it," Takeru says.

I find myself laughing at his comment, "No. It's definitely not Sora."

"Thank goodness. I don't think I could handle another person constantly talking about her. Don't get me wrong, I love Sora like she's my own sister, but there are only so many things I want to know, you know?"

"This girl is a mutual friend. You'll find out who it is this weekend. But for now, I have to get going."

I walk into my room to change and hear the two throw out names of people they think it might be. Mimi's name doesn't come up at all so that's a good sign. She wants it to be a surprise and like I said before, they'll definitely be surprised. Especially Miyako. She kind of worships Mimi in a weird - almost creepy - stalker way.

After changing into a pair of dark jeans and a baby blue collared shirt, I say goodbye to Takeru and Hikari and head over to Mimi's.

* * *

><p>I walk through the lobby of Mimi's complex and I'm greeted by the same woman that's always there. She smiles a little too much and is always extra super nice to me. I usually try to avoid her but the elevator here takes so long I have no choice but to talk back. She's kind of creepy. I'm pretty sure she wants me.<p>

"Have a good day, beautiful," I say with a wink as the elevator doors finally open. I hear that same flirty laugh she always gives when I end the conversation. You know the kind: over-exaggerated, louder than normal, and just plain creepy.

The elevator opens up to the top floor and I walk to the end of the hall where Mimi's room is. I knock but receive no response so I know again. Still nothing.

I decide let myself in and see Mimi sitting in the middle of the living room floor with stuff spread out around her everywhere. I'm a little overwhelmed by the mess. So much so that it throws me off a little and I have a sudden urge to clean everything up regardless of the fact that I have no idea where anything is supposed to go.

Upon further observation I can see that she's been crying. Her face is red and her eyes are puffy. I'm instantly concerned.

"What happened?" I wonder.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate moving?" She asks, completely ignoring the question while sorting through a pile of papers. She does a double take and looks at me again, "Nice shirt by the way."

"Thanks. Is everything okay?"

She sighs and shrugs, "It's nothing."

"Mimi," I say doubtfully as I manuever my way through the mess to sit next to her, "What's wrong?"

She sighs again and her voice cracks, "It's Michael."

"Michael. Your ex Michael?"

"One in the same."

"Why are you so upset over him?"

"I never told you what happened between us did I?"

"No."

"Michael and I were together for three years. _Three years. _I thought everything was great between us. Well, then I found out that he had been cheating on me almost the entire time we were together. Needless to say, things ended badly between us. This all happened not even two months ago. He still tries calling me every so often. Today just so happens to be one of those days."

"You don't talk to him do you?"

"No. But he always leaves voicemails and I listen to them even though I know I shouldn't. It's just hard, Tai. Having such strong feelings for someone and then come to find out it's all been a lie... that's hard to face. Some days are better than others but today I'm having a hard time. I'm sorry I know you don't want to hear all this."

"Mimi, we're friends. You can tell me anything."

"Thanks. You're a sweetheart."

"So," I say trying to change subject, "What is all this?"

I manage to make her laugh, "Anything and everything that I've ever owned. I'm not sure if I told you this but once I'm done traveling at the end of next year I plan to stay here in Japan for a while. My parents, however, will never leave New York so I asked them to box up everything in the house that was mine and send it out here so I can organize it and find places to put it. It's insane how much crap accumulates over the years. Did you know I still have a shoe box full of notes and letters I've written all of you guys over the years? That's what I'm going through now. I'm reading the stories and it's just bringing back a ton of memories. Here, see for yourself."

She hands me the stack of papers with a sticky note labeled "Tai" and I start reading through them. Most of it almost has me in tears because I'm laughing so hard at how ridiculous they are. It also makes me realize that Mimi and I leave nothing off the table. We have told each other pretty much everything over the years no matter how embarrassing or utterly insane it is.

"It's just ridiculous, right?" She laughs, "I've got so many pictures and scrapbooks and just plain crap that I don't know what to do with it all. I'm considering throwing half of it away but I'll admit I'm kind of a hoarder. I just like to hold on to the memories I guess. If anything I can just put it all in storage."

"That's a good thing though," I reply, "Sometimes it's those memories that make you who you are."

"I guess that's true. Oh, well. So, you probably don't want to be stuck in this stuffy old condo with my mess everywhere. I actually need to find a home decor store to decorate the condo and then go grocery shopping. My parents are so generic. Everything in this place is black and white and I need some color. I have a guy coming to paint next week but I need a new comforter and pillows and everything before I go crazy. I couldn't convince my mom to ship out my wall-art so I guess I'll have to get some of that too. I told my mom that if I'm going to be living here for the next however many years then I'm going to make it feel like home. It is just temporary though. I plan to buy a house sooner or later. Maybe somewhere out in the country. I love the city life but it can get so hectic sometimes. Did you know..."

I never realized how much Mimi can talk until right this moment. I just kind of smile and nod at the appropriate times. I eventually tune her out. I guess I should act like I'm paying attention though. She's having a bad day and I should feel sympathy toward that. I didn't realize she had conflicting emotions over her ex.

She stands to get ready and I suddenly remember the creepy lady downstairs, "Is the elevator the only way out of your complex? Can we take the stairs instead?"

"Tai, we're ten floors up. Why would we take the stairs?" She wonders.

"Your lobby lady freaks me out."

She laughs, "She probably thinks you're hot. Who could blame her? It doesn't help that you call her 'beautiful' all the time either."

"What can I say? It's just part of my charm."

She laughs again and shakes her head, "You're so goofy. No worries, I can think of a couple ways to make her stop flirting."

"Really? Like what?"

She winks, "You'll see."

She puts on her shoes, grabs her purse and we head out.

"Whatever happens next, just play along, okay?" She says. I nod, but I'm confused by what she means.

We're in the elevator, nearing the bottom floor, when all of a sudden she just attacks me. When I say attack, I mean she throws herself against me, wraps her legs around my waist, and forces me into such a heated kiss, I'm surprised we're not setting off the fire alarms. She's literally got me pinned against the elevator doors.

Too distracted to care, the elevator doors open in the lobby and we both go falling to the floor. We just start laughing as I help her up. I see the look of disgust on the lobby lady's face and know that she won't be bothering me any more.

"He's just so cute I can't keep my hands off him!" Mimi says squeezing my cheeks and then directs her attention to the lobby lady, "Isn't he just so cute, Diane?"

I see her face flush like a cherry and she mumbles a reply.

"Come on, honey, let's go," Mimi says and laces her fingers through mine. She's pulling me along and I'm still trying to process what just happened in the elevator. Mimi is... spontaneous, I'll give her that much. She plays the whole making other girls jealous card pretty well. But hey, if it gets creepy lady off my back then so be it.

* * *

><p>Walking through the home decor store kind of turns into a nightmare. Mimi wants to buy everything she can get her hands on and I'm the one left holding the bags. I guess there's a reason I never want to go shopping with my mom or sister. Women are insane. Mimi even more so because she has a high-limit credit card.<p>

"What about this one?" Mimi asks holding up a bubble gum pink shower curtain.

I make a look of disgust but she ignores it. Why does everything have to be pink?

After spending hundreds of dollars at the home decor store, we move on to grocery shopping. Of course, she manages to choose the largest grocery store within a hundred mile vicinity so it ends up taking forever. At least here I can give good feedback.

"Do you eat anything that's not made out of whole grain or is organic?" I ask looking at the things in her cart. Fresh fruit and veggies, organic meats and cheeses, yogurt, whole grain bread and pastas, other organic crap, more fruit, etc. occupy it.

"I like being skinny thank you very much," she replies, "And for the record, that processed crap will send you to an early death, my friend."

"Good to know. Knock yourself out with the organic."

She has a lot of self control that's for sure. My diet consists of carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I don't understand the whole organic eating thing at all. Food is food. Who cares whether it was raised with preservatives or not? As long as it's edible that's all that matters to me.

So, we finish up with the grocery shopping - over an hour later - and are standing in line to check out when I spot none other than Sora standing four or five lines over from us. I don't think she's noticed us but for some reason I want to run and hide like a little bitch. Being here with Mimi, what with no one knowing she's even in town, might spark some unnecessary drama and pose a lot of questions.

"You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong? Are you sick?" Mimi wonders and puts her hand on my forehead to check my temperature.

"Sora," I reply.

"What about Sora?"

"She's standing over there."

Mimi peeks around me and smiles at the sight of our friend, "We should call her over!"

"No!" I say, trying to stop her before she raises her voice.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just- nothing."

Her eyes narrow and she gives me a quizzical look, "I don't understand why you're so weird around her."

"It's a long story."

"Well, suck it up because here she comes."

"Mimi is that you?" I hear Sora shout across the store.

Mimi pushes past me and rushes over to her. They hug and squeal and do what girls do when they haven't seen each other in a long time. I stand there dumbfounded. I hear them talking and then Sora looks my way. I quickly avert her gaze and try to look distracted with the magazines at the checkout stand.

"How long have you been in town?" Sora wonders.

"Since Saturday," Mimi replies.

"Saturday? Why is this the first time I'm hearing of it?"

"Well, I was planning to make it a surprise this weekend. I wanted to get settled in before I announced I was here. Plus, you're all still in school I didn't want to bother anyone."

"You're not a bother at all! I wish you would have told me sooner. I've missed you."

"Me too. Come with me. Tai's giving me a death glare. He probably wants me to come pay for my food."

I see a look of confusion cross Sora's face as Mimi drags her over to our spot in line. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I can almost read her thoughts. She's wondering why I'm here with Mimi when no one was supposed to know she was in town yet.

"Hey," I say trying to be friendly.

"Hi," she replies a little less friendly.

Mimi looks at the two of us and I can tell she regrets bringing Sora over. Sora doesn't stay very long though and makes an excuse to leave.

"Well, I have to get going. I'm meeting up with Yamato. Call me, okay?" Sora says, hugs her, and then leaves.

"Wow," Mimi says once she's gone, "You weren't kidding. You guys really aren't getting along are you?"

"I guess not."

"I thought you two got over it?"

"It's really complicated."

"Well, I'm curious now so I hope you plan on telling me what's going on because I won't let you leave until you do."

* * *

><p><em>"<em>**_Thursday, April 27._**

_Today is the first day this week I haven't spent all my time after school with Mimi. I think I need a break to just think for a minute. _

_I went to hang out with her yesterday and she took me shopping (gag). Well, while we were checking out at the grocery store I spotted Sora a couple lanes over. I told Mimi to try and avoid making a scene, but Sora spotted us regardless. Needless to say... it was awkward. Mimi knows the back story (the one that you have yet to get) but not much beyond that. I decided to tell her everything; ending with the obvious.  
><em>

_"I'm in love with her," I said._

_Mimi just stared at me like I was insane. She always knew there was something there but didn't know it went to that extreme. _

_At first, she was mad. Not because she's jealous or anything like that, but because it's not fair to Yamato. She thinks I'm being a bad friend. I can't help how I feel though. She's acting like I can just flip a switch and shut off my emotions. It doesn't work like that. She should know. She's still in love with her ex, who cheated on her BTW, but you don't see me saying anything negative about it.  
><em>

_"Look," I told her, "I don't want to feel like this any more. I've tried, okay? I've tried to stop these feelings but I just can't. I don't expect you to understand."_

_"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She wondered._

_"I don't exactly like to talk about it."_

_"I can see why. I'm not going to lie, friend. You're pretty fucked up."_

_It's harsh but she's right. It is messed up. I went on to apologizing to her for using her to as a distraction from reality. I told her that when I'm with her it's like nothing else even matters. I said that I don't regret anything but that maybe we shouldn't continue hooking up because I don't want to hurt her in the end._

_"You're scared you're going to hurt me? Tai, it's just sex. Suck it up, buttercup. It's not like I'm in love with you or anything."_

_Those were her exact words. _

_So that leads me to now. We haven't spoken since I left her condo last night. I don't know why but I feel like I've just added more problems to my effed up life. What the hell is wrong with me?"_

I save the document and walk out of my room to join Hikari and Takeru in the living room. Yes, he's here _again_. Poor kid. Yamato must be driving him crazy. Lucky for him I don't plan to add to that insanity.

"Oh good, Tai. Please explain to your sister why it's not appropriate to charge a mob of zombies when you don't have enough ammo to take out even one," Takeru says.

"I was trying to shank them!" Hikari defends.

"You can't shank twenty zombies by yourself!"

I just laugh because I don't think I've ever heard Hikari use the term "shank" before. They're still at it with that Call of Duty. Except now they've switched to Nazi Zombies.

"Scoot over and let a pro show you how it's done," I say taking Hikari's controller.

* * *

><p>I can't exactly tell you when Hikari left the living room during our Nazi zombie raid, but when I look at the clock I see that it's late. I can't believe we've been playing all night. Hikari probably got bored and went to bed. My parents retired early too, but that was mostly because we were hogging the TV so they decided to watch a movie in their room.<p>

"I guess I'd better get going," Takeru says and stands up.

"You can stay the night if you want. I doubt my mom would care," I reply. He is more than welcome to crash on the couch after all.

"Naw, my brother might freak out. He doesn't do well with being alone lately. Nightmares, you know."

"Nightmares, huh?"

"Yeah. They get pretty bad sometime's. Well, tell Hikari I'll see her tomorrow. Bye, Tai."

"Yeah, see you."

* * *

><p>I'm so glad it's Friday. I'm ready for the weekend. The closer I get to graduating the more anxious I am about everything. I have never looked so forward to the weekends before until now.<p>

I'm on my way to Dr. Anderson's office after school when Koushiro stops me in the hall. I've been trying to avoid him - what with the whole Mimi thing and all - but he has finally caught up with me.

"Is it true that Mimi's in town?" He asks out of breath. What, was he literally running around trying to find me? Wow, Sora didn't waste any time telling everyone Mimi is here did she?

"It was supposed to be a surprise," I say trying to sound disappointed that he knows.

His face brightens, "Is she going to be at Yamato's party tonight?"

"Yeah. Are you going?"

"Well, I wasn't planning to but..."

I feel awful. I know for a fact Mimi doesn't and never has seen Koushiro in that way. She doesn't understand him half the time and he isn't the kind of guy she usually goes for. In all honesty, the two kind of remind me of those characters from that show "The Big Bang Theory". Mimi's the really hot chick and Koushiro is the smart guy across the hall. Minus the whole hooking up thing, it kind of fits them perfect.

I feel like this would be a perfect time to tell him what's going on except that I can see Dr. Anderson entering her office down the hall so what do I do? I make an excuse to avoid the situation like always.

"Wear a collared shirt. She likes those," I encourage.

He smiles from ear-to-ear, "Prodigous! Well, see you tonight!"

I nod and he leaves. I sigh and walk to Dr. Anderson's office. She smiles as I sit down.

"Mr. Yagami, how are you today?"

She's in an exceptionally good mood. I wonder why?

"I'm okay," I reply sullenly.

"I have some good news for you. I talked to the Principal, after much debate he finally agreed to decrease your session time to once a week. Well, granted that's all right with you. If you like the idea we'd only have to meet once a week from now on. Same time, but only on Wednesdays. When I told him how much progress you've made, he agreed that your punishment shouldn't be as harsh. What do you think about that?"

"Yeah," I say not really caring either way, "Sounds great."

Her good mood falters, "You're in a foul mood today. Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

Today turns into one of those sessions where she talks and I don't say more than a couple words. She kind of gives up after a while. The hour drags out in uneasy silence. We come to an agreement at the end and now I only have to attend sessions every Wednesday.

The bell rings and I slowly grab my things to go.

"Oh," I say, "Before I forget, here's my rambling entry. It's not much but it kind of explains my mood today. See you."

She bids me farewell for the weekend and I head home. Unless my mood gets better, I probably won't even bother showing up at the party tonight. Hell, I probably shouldn't show up anyways. It's not like anyone really wants me there. Yamato probably just asked me out of pity because everyone else was invited. Whatever.

* * *

><p>I get home to an empty house. A note on the fridge says that Mom and Dad are spending the weekend with my grandparents in Kyoto. Like usual, I don't know where Hikari is. Her social life far exceeds my own for some odd reason.<p>

I drop my school bag next to the door and head straight for my room. Miko, Hikari's cat, follows me as I curl up on my bed, not even bothering to change out of my school uniform, and then I fall asleep to the sound of her purring next to me. At least when I'm asleep, I can't think of how much I hate myself sometimes.

I awake - who knows how long later - to the sound of banging on my front door. I groggily sit up in my bed and fumble for my phone. I slept through the rest of the day and now it's dark out. I see that my phone is blown up with missed calls and text messages.

Before I have time to check them, I hear the banging again. This time followed by angry shouting.

I open the door and see a very pissed off Mimi standing there. She has her hands on her hips and a "What the hell?" look on her face. She's wearing a black dress - so tight and so short that it should be illegal - with bright red heels. Her hair is curled and I have to admit she looks pretty damn good. Did we have a date or something tonight that I'm not aware of? It would explain why she looks so pissed off.

"What's the occasion?" I ask.

"Um, Yamato's party? Hello?" She replies with an unspoken "Duh!" at the end.

"Oh. Right."

"You were supposed to take me, remember? What the hell have you been doing all day?"

"Um, sleeping?"

"That explains the awful mess that is your hair. I mean, aside from usual."

"Well gee, thanks."

"It doesn't even matter. Go change. We need to get going."

"Yeah... about that."

Her eyebrows narrow and her expressiong goes dark, "Don't you dare flake on me, Yagami. I am not going to this party alone."

"You won't be alone. There's going to be a ton of people there."

"Yagami Taichi, you are going to this party with me even if I have to drag you out of here by your hair. Now get dressed."

"Mimi, I'm not going."

"Tough shit. Yes, you are."

"No. I'm not."

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not."

"You are such a stubborn ass! Ugh!"

"Sorry."

"What's your problem? Why are you suddenly acting so weird toward me? Is it because of what we talked about the other day?"

"No. It's nothing you did."

"Then what, Tai?"

"It's complicated."

She rolls her eyes in annoyance, "Quit acting like a damn girl! Grow a pair and get the fuck over it already."

She then proceeds to punching me in the face. She manages to knock me off balance and I taste fresh blood flowing in my mouth. I spit and a wad of blood comes out. I look at her in disbelief. She literally just punched me in the face! What the hell happened to girls slapping when they get mad? They resort to throwing punches now? What the hell is wrong with the world?

I wipe my - now swelling - lip with the back of my hand and glare at her. I'm probably just about as pissed off as she is at this point. I'm not sure how long we stood there staring at each other with death glares but it doesn't take long before she's all over me. I've come to realize that anger fuels her sexual desires. Should I be concerned?

Mimi pulls on my hair as she pushes me backwards into the house. She manages to shut the door behind her. I trip and we both go stumbling backwards onto the kitchen floor, sliding a couple feet in the process. She hikes up her dress and and straddles me; pinning me to the floor with more strength than I knew she was capable of. The touch of her body against mine is setting off alarms all over. She reaches for my belt buckle when I finally come to my senses.

"No!" I say grabbing her hands, "We can't keep doing this!"

"Why not?" She wonders, "It's not like we haven't already before."

"It's not right."

"Why? You distract me and I satisfy you in the process. It's a win-win situation."

"Mimi, I can't."

"Quit being a little bitch about everything!"

She leans forward and presses her lips against mine again. I feel like no matter what I say or do I'm going to end up losing this fight. I must admit that my will-power to say no isn't very strong because I can feel her unhooking my belt and this time I don't even try to stop her. In fact, she manages to unbutton my pants and pull down my zipper too. I can't believe this is about to happen again; on my kitchen floor of all places!

Just as she begins to pull down my pants I hear: "Oh my God!" followed by disgusted gasping.

Mimi sits up and turns around and we both see Hikari and Miyako standing in the doorway with looks of horror on their faces. Hikari is covering her eyes and Miyako - scarily enough - looks like she's taking mental notes.

"Hikari!" I shout and push Mimi off of me. I fumble to get my pants buttoned back on, praying that no one sees anything they shouldn't.

"Hey guys..." Mimi says embarrassed as she pulls herself off the floor and brushes herself off.

"What in the world is going on?" Hikari asks in shock, "I didn't even know you two were dating let alone that Mimi was even in town!"

So, I guess Sora _didn't_ tell everyone like I assumed.

"We're not dating," Mimi and I say in unison.

Hikari's look turns to disgust, "This is just too much for me. I don't even want to know. You're both adults do what you have to do."

"But was it really necessary... in the kitchen, I mean?" Miyako adds.

"What if it had been mom and dad that walked through the door?" Hikari asks, "They just ungrounded you. If they had seen that... you wouldn't see the light of day ever again."

Why is it that my fifteen year old sister has the power to inflict this much guilt on me?

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves," Hikari says and stomps past us to her room.

"Sorry..." we both say, guilt-ridden and totally embarrassed. Well, I'm embarrassed. Mimi probably just added the almost-sex on my kitchen floor to her list of odd places she's most likely get caught. I think it's a turn-on for her; the aspect of getting caught, that is.

"Tisk, tisk," Miyako says with a shake of her head.

"I think this kind of goes without saying but if you two could not tell anyone what you just saw that would be great," I say.

"I'm not saying anything to anyone. I want to erase this memory from mymind as quickly as possible," Hikari says reemerging from her room.

"Where are you two going?" I ask quickly changing the subject.

"Yamato's party. Aren't you two going?" Miyako asks.

"That's kind of why I'm here," Mimi says.

"You came home just to go to Yamato's party?"

Wow, Miyako. Really?

"Mimi moved back from New York six weeks early for the summer. She just got in last weekend," I respond.

"Oh," Miyako says with a nervous laugh, "Duh! Of course."

"Who all knows she's home?" Hikari wonders.

"Well, us and Sora. Oh, and probably Yamato too since Sora knows. Koushiro knows so I guess Yamato must have told him. It was supposed to be a surprise tonight but once Sora saw us grocery shopping the other day I guess news kind of spread," I say.

"How would Yamato know? Sora and Yamato haven't been speaking. Well, except when they're screaming at each other."

I definitely didn't know that. The conversation from the grocery store the other day pops into my head. She mentioned having to leave because she was meeting up with Yamato. What a liar, liar pants on fire.

"I don't know then, Hikari," I reply.

"Can we wrap this up? It's getting late and Daisuke has already texted me a hundred times asking where we are," Miyako rushes.

"Yeah, Takeru's texting me a lot too. I guess we'll see you both there? Oh, and for the sake of my sanity, please keep your hands to yourselves," Hikari says and the two quickly leave.

Mimi and I stand there in silence. I turn toward my room and decide to go ahead and change because it doesn't look like there's any way I'm getting out of going to this party. Mimi enters and leans against the door frame, arms crossed.

"So," she says casually, "you want to continue where we left off before we were interrupted?"

"I'm not a piece of meat, Mimi. You can't just have your way with me whenever you choose," I reply bitterly.

"Fine. Suit yourself. I wish that just once you could detach yourself from your emotions like I do. Pittying yourself is not going to get you anywhere."

"Mimi, just stop talking. You don't know anything."

"I know enough. You're in love with your best friends girlfriend and yet you can't seem to bring yourself to realize why that's wrong on so many levels. She's never going to want you, Tai. Not in the same way she wants Yamato. It's a hard truth but you need to realize it sooner or later. Just remember though, you may spend all of your time thinking of her, but it's going to be my bed you wake up in tomorrow. I'll be waiting downstairs. I suggest you be outside in five minutes because I refuse to wait around for you all night."

She storms away and slams the front door behind her. I know she's right but my anger begins to take over. I hope there's a lot of alcohol at this party because I have a feeling it's going to be a black out kind of night.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>Poor Tai. Nothing seems to ever go right for him. Well, review! :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer - As always, I own nothing. If I did, I'd be very wealthy (and proud). :)**

**Author's Note:** I was trying to hold off on updating this for another couple of days but in the spirit of Halloween here's my treat for all of you loyal readers!

So um... I got a ton reviews on that last chapter. Thank you all so much! I really liked the comment where someone said "Maybe Tai and Dr. Anderson should get together since obviously she's the only one that understands him". That one made me laugh. I appreciate all of the reviews and loyal readers of this story! Alright, enough rambling. Let's get to it. Thanks again! :)**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

_"Sometimes I wish I were a little kid again. Skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts." - Author Unknown_

* * *

><p>Needless to say, the ride to Yamato's mom's place is extremely silent and dragged out. Mimi's pissed at me; I'm pissed because I didn't even want to go to this stupid party in the first place, and now everything is just really uncomfortable. She's also driving like a maniac so I'm using this quiet time to repent for my sins in the instance that we go crashing over a cliff and die tonight. Well, I'd most likely die, Mimi would probably survive and then bring me back from the dead and kill me again. Which sadly doesn't seem like such a bad alternative to Yamato's party.<p>

I don't think anyone has been this mad at me since the hair clip incident of 2004. Just thinking about it still makes me sick to my stomach.

"Do you even know where you're going?" I ask once I realize she's driving in the wrong direction.

"Of course I know where I'm going!" She spats, "I'm not an idiot."

"Takeru and his mom moved last summer. You're going to their old apartment. They actually own a house now."

She knows I'm right but isn't happy about it. The car comes to a screeching halt and does a one-eighty in the middle of the empty road. The only sound that can be heard is probably me screaming and then rubber burning on asphalt. When the hell did this turn into the fast and the furious? If I wasn't convinced I'd be dying earlier, I'm very much aware that I am going to now.

"Where to, Mr. Yagami?" She asks angrily.

It takes everything in me to let go of the granny handle above the door before answering, "Um, go back to the highway. That's the fastest way."

She slams her foot down on the gas and we go speeding away. Who in their right mind decided Tachikawa Mimi was fit to drive? I really think they should take PMS into account when issuing licenses to teenage girls.

Please let there be a cop somewhere that can haul her off to jail for reckless driving and life endangerment...

* * *

><p>We (finally) arrive at Takeru's place in one piece and there are cars lining the street. I guess I should have known better than to assume only our close group of friends would be here. Yamato's a pretty popular guy, even if he is anti-social most of the time. It's safe to assume that once word got out about him having a party, everyone in association with him (or Takeru) decided to make an appearance. I can only imagine how long this party will last until someone calls the cops. I give it until midnight and then I'll actually have an excuse to leave.<p>

"So are we just not going to speak to each other the rest of the night?" I ask once she's parked and the car is off.

"That depends, did you grow a pair and get over yourself since we left your apartment?" She responds.

I sigh, "Mimi..."

"Just walk inside with me. After that, you can just ignore me the rest of the night. I don't even care any more."

I'm not going to bother fighting her; it's not even worth my time. We get out of the car and walk together in silence. The only sound between us is Mimi's heels tapping against the concrete and then the hum of music coming from the Takaishi residence.

Mimi didn't need me to come to this party with her. Even if she was just some random girl off the street, one look at her alone would have gotten her in the party. She'll definitely be turning some heads tonight. Then again, that's probably what she was aiming for. Distraction. Distraction from reality. Distraction from... me.

I don't even bother knocking and we just let ourselves inside the house. I see familiar faces from school, all nodding and greeting me as we pass them. Mimi is turning heads, like I assumed. All the guys are checking her out and all the girls are turning their noses up in jealousy. I spot the youngest of the Ishida siblings standing with my sister and am about to head their way, when one of the guys from the baseball team, Ryan, stops me.

"Yagami!" He says and engages me in a fist bump.

This guy is such a tool. I don't understand how he thinks we're friends.

He continues, "Good to see you out in the social scene again. Who's your friend?"

"Mimi meet Ryan; Ryan, Mimi," I quickly introduce.

"Well, hello Mimi," Ryan says with a stupid grin. It probably works on most of the girls in our school but Mimi knows better. She doesn't fall prey to stupidity.

"Hey," Mimi replies less excited.

"You look like you could use a drink."

"Yeah, sure."

Now that I've passed Mimi onto someone else, I make a beeline for Takeru and Hikari. I hear Mimi start to protest but I ignore it and keep moving.

"Oh good, you made it!" Hikari says once she sees me.

"Please tell me you're not drinking beer," I say as soon as I see the red plastic cup in my sisters hand.

She laughs, "No, Tai. It's just soda. You know me better than that."

"Don't leave your cup sitting around. Who knows how many sicko's are hanging around here."

"Okay, Dad."

"Hey, I'm just looking out. What about you, Takeru? You drinking?"

"Nope, just soda for me too," Takeru says holding up his cup, "Someone has to stay sober to be on damage control. My mom would have a heart attack if anything gets broken. I told everyone to stay outside if they're drinking. That's where the keg is."

"How did you guys manage to score a keg?" I wonder.

"Jyou got it for us."

I'm honestly shocked, "Seriously?"

"Right?"

"I thought he was anti underage binge drinking. Remind me to thank him later."

Takeru just shrugs and smiles.

"Where's Mimi?" Hikari wonders.

I shrug, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"What happened?"

"Later. I'll be outside."

I push through the crowd and make my way to the back porch. I spot the keg and quickly grab a drink. I chug it down, not wasting any time, and go for another. I hear a voice approach from behind me. It's sloppy and loud and can only belong to one person.

"Taichi!"

I turn and see Daisuke stumbling over to me. He's smiling with a goofy grin and is spilling whatever is in his cup as he trips over himself. He's already smashed. Miyako and Ken are trailing not far behind.

"So glad you're here," he says, slurring his words, "Don't drink the punch. I think someone spiked it. Oh, wait. It was me!"

Miyako is rolling her eyes at this point and Ken is trying to hide a smile.

"Is it true that Mimi is here?" Daisuke wonders.

"Yeah, she's here somewhere," I tell him.

"She's hot. Onward!" He says throwing his cup up in the air and spilling it's remaining contents, "To Mimi! Hey, what happened my beer?"

Ken is full on laughing now. I am shaking my head and holding back a laugh as well. I've never seen Daisuke drunk before. Take his normal personality, multiply it by a hundred, throw in some crazy, and you get drunk Daisuke. Unbelievable.

"We've been trying to switch him to water," Miyako says, "He figures it out pretty quickly though. Stupid, Daisuke."

"Ah, let him have fun," I reply, "If he throws up that's his own fault for not knowing when to stop."

"You're not the one that has to clean it up later."

"Come on, Miya. We better go find him," Ken says and grabs her hand. I notice her cheeks turn red and a smile creep across her face as she follows him through the crowd. Huh. Is this a couple in the making I see? Or hell, for all I know they're already dating. I don't much keep up with my sister's friends social affairs.

I finally spot a familiar face I can socialize with. I can't believe he actually took my advice and wore a collared shirt. I don't think Koushiro even owns a collared shirt. I wonder where he went and bought it from last minute. It's from Abercrombie of all places. Nice touch.

"Tai!" He says once he sees me. He sounds relieved. I feel kind of bad. High school parties aren't exactly Koushiro's scene.

"Hey, Kou," I reply, "How's it going?"

"Fine. I've mostly just been watching everyone. I haven't been here that long."

"Yeah, we just got here too."

"Did Mimi come with you?"

"Yeah, she's here somewhere."

He tries to hide a smile.

"You should go find her," I say, "She was inside with Ryan last time I saw."

"Oh. Ryan, huh?"

I see his expression change and realize I probably shouldn't have said that. Ryan's a tool anyways. He's one of those guys that gets drunk at a party and thinks everyone wants to hear what he has to say and then ends up sleeping with the drunkest chick at the party. No need for Koushiro to worry. Unless Mimi's looking for some sort of revenge lay, I doubt she'll even be giving Ryan the time of day.

"Hey," I say in my best encouraging voice, "She'll be way more excited to see you than that tool-bag Ryan. Go find her. You'll be fine."

"Thank you, Taichi."

I watch him disappear through the crowd just as I finish my second cup of beer. I head back to the keg for a third when I'm stopped by Yamato.

"Thank God you're here," he says.

"Yep. Here I am," I reply, still eying the keg for another cup.

"I heard Mimi is here. Is that true?"

"Yep. She's here somewhere."

"Awesome. I'll have to find her and say hey. When did you get here?"

"Twenty, maybe thirty minutes ago."

"Oh, okay, not too long then. Listen, I have to leave for a little while. Do you think you can man the fort while I'm gone?"

"You have to leave? Yamato, you've been drinking. You can't leave."

"I've only had a couple. I'll be fine. Tell Takeru I'll be right back."

"Yama, you're not leaving."

"Yes I am. I have to go. I_ need_ to go."

"Where do you _need _to go?"

"I need to see her: Sora."

I roll my eyes. Figures. Yamato _would _risk his life to go see her on some sort of drunken impulse.

"You're not going anywhere," I say snatching the car keys out of his hand.

"Give those back, Tai!" He shouts, trying to fight me for them. His balance is way off. He's been drinking a lot more than he let on. He'd end up with a DUI before even turning the car on.

"No, Yamato. Don't be stupid. You're not going to risk killing yourself for her."

"You don't understand. I _have_ to see her!"

"Tell you what? You sober up and then I'll consider giving your keys back."

He glares at me through bloodshot eyes. There's no point in trying to reason with him. He's drunk and will probably do just about anything to get in a car to go see Sora. I have to do something before he gets himself killed.

"Just wait here and don't do anything stupid. I'll be right back," I say and walk away to make a very painful phone call.

It takes me a while but I finally manage to convince Sora that she needs to come to this party. She is against it, saying she doesn't want to be anywhere around Yamato while he's drunk, but when I mention that he's willing to drive drunk to get to her, she reconsiders. I think she's doing it more as a favor to me than him just so this night doesn't end in a drunken fist fight that we will both regret tomorrow.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she says and hangs up the phone.

I walk back and find Yamato slouched in a chair on the porch, openly smoking a cigarette in front of everyone. He looks pretty upset. I guess he doesn't care if people know any more.

"Good news," I say trying to lighten the mood, "I just talked to Sora. She's on her way here."

His eyes widen, "Really?"

"Yep. She'll be here as soon as she can."

"Thank you, Tai."

He smiles, finishes the cigarette, and stumbles across the yard to the keg. He starts shouting at people to hold him up while he does a keg stand. I'm shaking my head at how ridiculous this is. I think there's a reason high school kids shouldn't have access to free booze.

"You're a good friend," I hear from behind me.

I turn and see Mimi standing there. I guess she's speaking to me now.

"You're just now realizing this?" I reply.

"You did something selfless for Yamato so he wouldn't get himself killed, even though it was painful for you. You tipped Koushiro off at wearing a collared shirt because you know I like them. Even if it is a lost cause, at least your intentions were good."

"If you say so."

"Kou knows I don't see him in that way."

"It still doesn't stop him from having feelings for you."

"It's one-sided, Tai. My feelings lie elsewhere."

Okay. I'm not drunk enough for this conversation yet. I just decide not to say anything at all. I think she takes the hint because when I turn to look at her again she's gone. How is it that in a room full of people, I suddenly feel like I'm alone?

* * *

><p>I'm not exactly sure how many beers I've had when Sora finally arrives. How long ago did I call her? One hour ago, two hours? Three maybe? Who knows. All I know is that it feels like forever ago. Yamato is pretty much incoherent at this point and I'm reaching my own personal limit. Too much more and I'll be blacking out any minute.<p>

Mimi and I somehow managed to reconcile during my many cups of beer. The music is blasting and we're dancing. Well, she's dancing, I'm kind of just holding onto her and moving back and forth. She stops when we see Sora coming across the yard. Sora gives us a weird look but quickly turns her attention to Yamato.

"Get up," Sora says when she sees Yamato laying down on the grass. Why he's lying there, I don't know. I'm at a point where everything that happens makes me laugh. Can we say three sheets to the wind?

"Hey, baby! I'm so glad you're finally here," Yamato says with a smile when he sees her standing over him.

"Yamato, get off the ground," she repeats.

"Naw, how bout you come down here and join me?"

"I am not getting on the ground."

"You're no fun."

She rolls her eyes and turns her attention to me, "I assumed that if I came over you'd at least make him stop drinking. He can't even get off the damn ground. What the hell, Tai?"

"Hey now," Mimi interjects, "It's not his fault. Yamato's the one that kept insisting on doing keg stands."

"Well, from the look of things Tai managed to join him in a couple of those keg stands. Figures, two idiots feeding off each others stupidity. Sounds about right for these two," Sora spits out.

"What's your problem, Sora?"

"Right now, you're my problem."

"Excuse me?"

"Ladies, ladies," I say stepping - stumbling - between them before a cat fight breaks out, "No need to fight about this. We drank a little bit more than we should have. No one here is to blame."

Sora growls, ignoring my commentary, "Yamato, get off the ground or I'm leaving. It is two in the morning and I am not going to play these games with you."

"All right. Help me up, Tai," Yamato says and slowly sits up, offering out his hand. I grab it and, after much trouble on both our parts, I manage to get him up off the ground and to a standing position. He's just about to topple over again when Sora catches him.

"Let's get you some water and then go to bed," Sora says as she wraps her arm around his waist to steady him. I may be drunk but I can see that she is genuinely concerned for his well-being now.

"I'm sorry," I hear him whisper to her.

"It's okay. Let's just get you feeling a little more stable, okay?"

"Thank you, baby. I really am sorry. I should have more self control."

"It's okay, Yama."

"You're always so nice to me. That's why I love you."

A look of pain crosses her face but she doesn't reply. She manages to get him walking and soon enough the two disappear into the crowd. I turn back to Mimi, who's acting as a quiet bystander.

"You okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine," she replies. I know she's lying. Sora has managed to rub her the wrong way.

"You should have another drink. It'll make things easier. Believe me."

She laughs, "I'm not one to drink away my problems."

"Suit yourself. It's worked for me all these years."

"Years?"

"Yep. Yagami Taichi, professional drinker since 2006."

She just laughs and pours the remainder of her plastic cup on the grass, "Truth be told, I'm not even drunk. I haven't even been drinking that much."

"I wish I could say the same. My head is spinning."

"What do you say we get out of here then?"

"Lead the way."

* * *

><p>I wake up the next morning - afternoon? - not exactly sure where I am or what happened last night. I sit up in the bed I slept in and look at my surroundings. This is Mimi's bedroom.<p>

Oh no. Did we sleep together again? I throw back the sheets and see that I'm stripped to my boxers. Well, they're kind of half way on but they're still there. I look next to me and Mimi is still sleeping soundly. She's facing the opposite direction and is fully clothed. There's even a small pillow barrier between us. But it still leaves the lingering question: did we or didn't we?

I don't have much time to think about it before the booze I consumed decides to make a comeback. I jump out of the bed, waking up Mimi in the process, and rush into the bathroom just in time to make it to the toilet. My throat is on fire as the alcohol comes back up. The vomiting turns to dry heaving when Mimi enters the bathroom in concern.

"Go away! Don't look!" I shout embarrassed. God, when did I turn into such a pussy?

"This is not the first time I've seen someone throw up from drinking too much," she says and walks to the closet to grab a bath towel. She soaks it in cold water and pats the back of my sweating neck. It feels really great.

I throw up again just as she starts rubbing my back to comfort me. I'm pretty sure that was the rest of it. I flush and sit up against the garden bathtub. Mimi begins patting my forehead with the damp cloth and pushes the stray hair out of my eyes. As always, I ask a stupid question to break the awkward silence.

"Did we have sex?"

I can't tell if the smile she gives me is out of annoyance or to entertain my humor, "No," she replies.

"Why am I half naked then?"

"Well, we got back here and you started complaining about being too hot. So, as I was trying to get you to go to bed, you decided to strip down to almost nothing and the you just kind of fell over and blacked out. Are you aware that you talk in your sleep?"

"What? No. I do not."

"Oh, you do actually. I almost had to sleep in another room because you kept making weird noises. I want to say it's just you being restless while you're drunk but I wouldn't know otherwise."

"Great. Now I'm the freak that talks in his sleep."

She smiles softly, "It was kind of cute."

I find myself lost in her eyes. They look like liquid caramel today. It's nice. She blushes and turns away.

"I'll get you some water," she says standing up, "There are extra toothbrushes under the sink. Help yourself."

She leaves the bathroom quickly and I take her advice to brush my teeth. I look in the mirror and I'm a mess. Bags hang under my eyes like I haven't slept in days and my hair is a mess - well, messier than normal.

I finish cleaning myself up and go on a hunt for my clothes. I find them in random spots throughout the bedroom and dress myself. Mimi returns with a bottle of water and hands it to me.

"So," I start, "what happened last night?"

"You don't remember?"

"Not really. After about the third keg stand things started getting fuzzy."

"Well, not much happened honestly. You and Yamato reconciled, from what I could see, and then you spent the rest of the night egging each other on about who could drink more. I felt like it was last summer all over again."

"That bad, huh?"

"You two were pretty funny actually. Not annoying like you usually are when you drink."

"So you're saying I'm annoying?"

"No. Not by any means."

She smiles. There we go staring at each other again. It's moments like this that make me question my feelings for her. Do I truly just want this to be a mutual hookup or do I honestly have feelings for her? Usually when we're together we're just hooking up. It's so heated and spontaneous that I don't even know how I feel about it. Maybe if we tried to slow it down a little then I could tell if things are more than they appear.

"Can you do something for me?" I ask.

"Anything," she replies, all-too willingly.

I reach out my hand and she grabs onto it. I pull her to me, tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ear, and stare deeply into her eyes. I feel my heart racing and sense that hers is too. The look in her eyes is asking what I'm planning to do next. Truth be told, I don't really know what to do next. I'm bad at this whole romance thing. Maybe I'm just over-thinking things. I should act before she pulls away. I lean forward slowly, eyes closing. Our faces are inches apart. I can feel her breath against my skin. Our lips are about to meet in our first sincere, honest kiss... when my phone begins ringing loudly throughout the room.

I sigh and pull away, extremely disappointed. I can tell she's disappointed too. The moment has officially been killed. Maybe my phone ringing is a sign that this isn't supposed to happen. When I look to see who decided it would be a great time to interrupt, I'm honestly surprised that Sora's name is the one flashing across the screen.

"Hello?" I answer quickly.

"Hey," she answers.

"Hey?"

"Are you busy? I need to talk to you. Can I come over?"

"No. I mean, I'm not home."

"Oh. Well, I'll let you go then if you're busy. It can wait."

"I'll come to you. Give me thirty minutes?"

"Sounds great. See you soon."

I hang up and see a look of disgust on Mimi's face. Great. Once again, I'm ditching her to give in to Sora's requests. What kind of a person am I?

"Let me guess. Princess Sora wants to talk," Mimi says.

"Mimi-"

"No, Tai. Don't even bother making excuses. You're leaving now, right?"

"Look, it's not what you think."

"It's exactly what I think, actually. Whatever, Tai. Go. Run to Sora like you always do. If you want to talk about what almost just happened later, then give me a call. If not, then I guess I'll see you around."

She walks into her bathroom and locks the door behind her. My body is shaking. I'm torn. I shouldn't leave but I really want to see Sora. It sounded like something important. But now Mimi's mad... Why can't I make everyone happy?

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Sunday, April 30.<strong>_

_I need therapy. Not the kind I'm getting now but the real kind where I pay someone a hundred and fifty bucks an hour to listen to my problems. I need to lay down on one of those padded couches in a bright, sterile room where I can stare at the ceiling and talk about how effed up my life is. Yeah, you're probably wondering what happened now, right? Something always seems to be happening lately. I guess I'll start with Friday. Oh, and for the record, I don't want to hear any "I told you so" comments after you read this, okay?_

_Friday was Yamato's party. Everything was fine, I guess. I drank a little - okay, a lot - caught up with some old friends, you know, the usual. Well, Yamato ended up getting really drunk and tried to drive to see Sora. I took his keys away and convinced Sora to come to the party so he wouldn't get himself killed. She agreed. Long story short, she showed up, unnecessary fights started, and now everyone is kind of on edge. We all used to be such good friends... but now that we're getting older and emotions are getting in the way I feel like everyone is slowly falling apart. I hate growing up.  
><em>

_Well, needless to say I ended up passing out that night; in Mimi's bed of all places. No, for the record, we did not sleep together if that's what you're thinking. I guess technically we did sleep together in the same bed but no body parts were touching. Anyways, I woke up, threw up a couples of times (not that you care or anything), and then Mimi and I got lost in one of those deep concentrating stares (after I brushed my teeth and cleaned up mind you). _

_I've been battling with myself trying to decide if I do in fact have feelings for Mimi that go beyond just hooking up. I want to say that I do. I was trying to prove it to myself by romantically seducing her but low and behold my phone interrupted the moment. Who was calling you ask? Oh, just Sora. Yeah, freaking Sora. I mean, what the hell? Does she have a radar that screams "this would be a perfect moment to interrupt something"? I think she does and it's really starting to piss me off._

_So, Sora called and of course, like the freaking idiot that I am, I gave into her request. I left Mimi to go to Sora. Mistake number one._

_Sora said she wanted to talk about something. I thought she was going to just apologize for snapping on me Friday night at the party but that's not exactly how things went down. _

_I got to her house and realized quickly we were alone. Mistake number two (you'll understand why being alone with her is a mistake later on).  
><em>

_"Thank you for getting here so quickly," she said as soon as I walked in the door._

_"Yeah, sure," I replied taking off my shoes, "What did you want to talk about?"_

_She leads me to the couch and we stare at each other for a minute without speaking. I raise my eyebrows at her, waiting for something, and she sighs._

_"Something happened," she says._

_I just stare at her, waiting for her to go on._

_"Something bad," she continues but then stops again._

_"What? Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"_

_She takes a deep breath and finally tells me, "Yamato and I slept together."_

_Now, normally this wouldn't be news to me. I am very much fully aware of the fact that Sora and Yamato have been physically intimate for quite a while. I mean, they had been dating for a long time. It's only natural that physical attributes would come into play at some point. The reason that I was so surprised by her revelation is because I'm shocked she would let something like that happen, knowing it would have consequences in the end. Sora's not exactly a hit it and quit it kind of girl. Intimacy for her is a serious thing; she wouldn't do that if she didn't still love him.  
><em>

_"Um... can I ask when?" I wonder._

_"Friday night, after I tried to get him to go to sleep," she replies, almost as though she's ashamed of herself._

_"Wow. Uh, how?"_

_"I don't even know, to be honest. One minute we were just talking to each other and the next... well, you know how it goes."_

_"Wow. Okay. So, what now?"_

_"I don't know. I'm so confused about everything. I broke up with Yamato for a reason and now I can't seem to remember what that reason was. Better yet, why it was even necessary in the first place. I don't know what to do, Tai. What should I do?"_

_"You're asking me? I have no clue."_

_"You're my best friend. You're supposed to give me life-altering advice that's supposed to either tell me how stupid I'm being or to follow my heart."_

_I sigh, "Sora, do you still love Yamato?"_

_She's taken aback by my question, "Tai-"_

_"Sora, it's a yes or no question. Either you love him or you don't."_

_She remains silent for a few moments, struggling to come to grips with her emotions, "I am."_

_"You are...?"_

_"I am still in love with him."_

_Finally. I have finally managed to get her to admit that she still loves him. It was clear from the beginning that she never truly stopped loving him. I think she was just having a hard time figuring it out._

_"Then I don't understand what the problem is," I finally say._

_"Tai, I need to ask you something. I want you to be completely honest with me. No bullshit. Can you look me in the eyes and give me an honest answer?"_

_"Yeah, I guess. What?"_

_"Pinkie promise?"_

_She holds out her pinkie and I roll my eyes at how stupid this is._

_"Promise me, Tai!" She whines._

_Ever since we were little kids Sora has used the pinkie promise technique to get me to tell her the truth. It's so lame and childish... but that's just always how she's done things.  
><em>

_"Fine! Pinkie promise," I say lamely and hook my pinkie around hers._

_She doesn't let go, "Do you have feelings for me that go beyond friendship? And don't you dare lie to me."_

_Wow. I could not believe that she'd just asked that. Why all of a sudden did this become a lingering question in her mind? It makes me wonder if my answer would somehow determine whether or not she considered being with Yamato again. She wants an answer but I can't bring myself to tell her how I feel. Now that I'm being confronted with it, I don't know what to say. _

_It goes against everything I've been trying to improve lately but I do the exact opposite of what she asks. I lie. (Probably) Mistake number three._

_"No."_

_I see a glint of sadness cross her face, "No?"_

_"No."_

_"Are you lying to me, Taichi?"_

_"I have no feelings for you, Sora. We are just friends. That's all we'll ever be."_

_I think she's disappointed, "Well, all right then. That... changes things. I'm glad we got that settled."_

_I decide it's time for me to leave after that. I'm about to walk out the door when I stop and tell her one final thing: "Yamato loves you. You should be with him no matter what. He can make you happy."_

_So, that's that. It's Sunday now and I just so happened to be on Facebook earlier and noticed that Sora changed her relationship status back to in a relationship. She also posted a status saying "Happier than I've been in a really long time. It's going to take work, but we'll figure this out." _

_They didn't waste any time getting back together did they? I'm not saying that I'm not happy for them because truly, I am. This was the whole plan in the first place: to get them back together. Mimi and I had planned to lock them in a room together until they worked everything out -or died, whichever came first- but I guess this worked just as well. _

_Speaking of Mimi... I haven't talked to her since I left her condo Saturday morning. She's mad at me and for good reason too. She feels betrayed and hurt. I tried calling her as soon as I left Sora's place but she didn't answer. I followed it up with a couple of text messages and another phone call but I've gotten nothing in response. _

_It's come to a point where I have to stop worrying about what's going on with everyone else and focus on myself. I like Mimi. I have no doubt in my mind now. If I didn't, I wouldn't be getting ready to do what I'm about to do now. But that's a story for another day..."_

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it. Yeah, this probably wasn't how most of the readers expected this story to go but I'm the author and I decide who ends up with who. Don't judge. You have to look at stories as a whole. What makes sense, what doesn't. It's not over yet though. Thank you for reading. Please review. No flames. Your comments will be deleted and reported.<strong>_  
><em>


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer - Me. Own. Nothing.**

**Author's Note:** Wow, y'all. Words seriously cannot express how awesome you are for all the reviews. We've reached over 100 on this story and it's only seven (now eight) chapters in. I'm glad I got the inspiration to write this because it's seeming to be a crowd pleaser. Again, thank you and keep it up! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

_"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." -Aristotle_

* * *

><p>I'm standing in the lobby of Mimi's condo waiting for the elevator to reach the bottom floor. There's a guy working today so there's no awkward small-talk between me and creepy lobby lady. He's playing on his computer and probably doesn't even remember that I'm here. Oh well works for me.<p>

The elevator doors finally open and I rush in. I rehearse the lines in my head again as I slowly ride to the top floor. I'm hoping she listens to my reasoning and gives me another chance. Mostly though I'm just hoping she doesn't slam the door in my face.

I stand in front of the door and take a deep breath. I push the doorbell and hear it echo throughout the house. Time seems to slow down as I wait for her to answer. When she finally does, she shakes her head in disgust and rolls her eyes. She then proceeds to slamming the door like I feared.

"Mimi, wait," I say holding the door back.

"What do you want, Tai?" She asks.

There's a lot of hate in her voice. I really screwed up.

I pull the bouquet of flowers out from behind my back and lower my head like a coward.

"Flowers aren't going to fix things, you know," she says.

"I know they won't. I just want you to know how truly sorry I am for ditching you the other day. It was wrong of me and I shouldn't have done it. I don't know why I give into Sora every time she calls me. I try not to but it's not that easy, really. She's my best friend and I can't just write her off when she needs me. You know how I feel about her but if I'm being honest I also feel something for you."

"I refuse to be a second to her."

"I know. I'm not going to make you feel like a shadow next to her. I'm trying; really, I am. I'm broken and damaged and probably need a real-life shrink but I think overall I'm a genuinely good person. I try to find the best in everyone no matter how many times I get screwed over in the process."

"You and I have that in common."

"I think we have a lot of things in common. I'm a good guy. You'll find that out if you just give me another chance."

"I don't give second chances."

"One date. You, me, some lame music, a nice dinner, a couple of candles; you name it. I want to show you the side of me that people rarely get to see. Please, give me that chance. If you decide you want nothing to do with me after then that's fine. At least I can say that I tried."

She considers my offer. The anticipation of her answer is killing me. When she tries to fight a smile, I know that I've won.

"Fine!" She says, "One date. You'd better make this worth my time, Yagami."

I smile, "You won't regret it. I promise." I hand her the flowers and give her a quick kiss on the cheek, "I'll pick you up tonight at six."

I turn to walk away and she stops me with: "Oh, wait! I can't tonight. Can we do it tomorrow?"

I'm a little baffled. What would Mimi have planned tonight that I'm not aware of? I mean, I did just see her not too long ago and she didn't have any plans then. Since when is her social life so thriving? Or maybe mine just sucks.

"What's tonight?" I ask curiously.

"I have a date."

"What?" I'm shocked, "With whom?"

"Koushiro."

It's one of those rare moments where I've been rendered speechless. I almost have the need to grab the door frame for fear of toppling over. Did she seriously just say she has a date? _With Koushiro_? What the hell happened to that conversation we had the other night on the porch? The one about her feelings lying elsewhere and that Koushiro doesn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell. Okay, she didn't say that exactly but you know what I mean. Koushiro, really?

"You and Koushiro are going... _on a date_?" I repeat.

"Yeah," she replies with a shrug of her shoulders like it's nothing.

"How? Better even: why?"

"He asked me the other night at the party. He wants to take me out to dinner and I told him yes."

"Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"

"It's not really any of your business who I date, Tai."

"But you don't even like Koushiro that way!"

"Says who?"

"You did! You said the other night that you and Kou would never be anything because your feelings lie elsewhere!"

"Well, things change."

"If this is some sort of pity date to make me jealous then do us both a favor and back out now. It's not fair to get Koushiro involved in something that you know will never happen."

"See, now there's your problem, Tai. You think that everyone does things based on whether it'll affect _you_ in some way. It's not always about you, you know. Maybe I _want_ to go on a date with Koushiro. Did you ever consider that? He's a nice guy and I need to start giving guys like him a chance because in the end, people like him are the ones that won't break your heart. People like him are the ones that make excellent fathers and will do anything to support their family no matter what. Oh, and they never cheat because they worship the ground you walk on."

I suddenly feel like this conversation isn't even about Koushiro any more. She's bringing up past feelings with her ex and turning it into some emotional breakthrough. Maybe Mimi is a little more damaged than I originally thought.

"Wow," I reply, "So you're saying that guys like me are the only ones that break people's hearts? That we would make sucky fathers and will cheat on our wives? That's great, Mimi. I love being reduced to a social stereotype. I'm glad we cleared that up."

"I did not say that. You did. Do you remember the part where I just got out of a really shitty relationship? I had my heart broken. I cried myself to sleep for weeks trying to figure out what _I_ did wrong. He made me believe that I was the one to blame for his cheating and you know what? I was stupid enough to believe it. I'm just trying to piece everything back together before I completely lose my mind."

"_He _is an asshole! I would never do any of those things, Mimi! You know that."

"Do I? As long as Sora's in the picture I honestly can't say for sure that I do. I've been screwed over before. I won't go through that again."

"Leave Sora out of this. Do you see me showing up at Sora's front door with a bouquet of flowers trying to apologize for being an asshole? No. Not once have I ever done that. Sora made her choice. Now I'm making mine."

I take a step forward so that I'm standing directly in front of her. She's pushed up against the front door, me blocking her way of escape. I tuck the stray hairs in her face behind her ear and gently tilt up her chin. Before I know it, our lips have met. This should have been the kiss we shared yesterday in her bedroom before Sora interrupted us. I know Mimi and I would be great together; that's not the issue. I think it's coming to a point where we both know what we want, it's just a matter of whether or not we're ready to pursue something.

It's sweet and short but it gets the point across. Mimi has a look on her face that's screaming for more. She only has eyes for me now. I think I just managed to screw over Koushiro though. Crap. I have got to do something about this guilty conscious of mine.

"I can cancel tonight," she whispers, still entranced by the kiss. Her free arm reaches up and grips the back of my neck. I know she's wanting more.

Of course I want her to cancel. I want her to call Koushiro and tell him something else came up, but as always, being the good guy that I am, we both know that's not going to happen. I decide it's probably time for me to leave before she writes him off completely. She's right. Kou is a great guy. Who am I to say any different? She deserves someone like him. I can make her happy, sure, but so can he. Plus, I'm not even sure I'm looking for a relationship right now. I doubt she is. Is this whole thing just a big waste of time? I was just trying to prove a point.

Torn should be my middle name because that seems to be all that's happening with me lately.

"Enjoy yourself tonight," I whisper, kiss her lightly on the forehead, and walk away before she can say anything else.

* * *

><p>I end up just going home after that. Mom and Dad haven't gotten back from Kyoto yet so it's just Hikari in the house. I'm a little surprised that Takeru's not around.<p>

"Where's Takeru? I was kind of getting used to having him around all the time," I say.

"He and Yamato are still trying to get the house back in order before their mom comes home. Apparently if one little thing is out of place she'll know something is up. She's kind of OCD and a control freak," Hikari says.

I see multiple sheets of colored construction paper, scissors, markers and glue spread across the living room floor. I'm not sure what she's doing exactly, probably something for school, so I just decide to leave the conversation at that and let her be.

I'm walking past her into my room and she stops me.

"So," she begins.

"So, what?" I reply.

"Would you like to talk about what almost happened between you and Mimi the other day on our kitchen floor?"

"Um, not really."

"Tai, the two of you almost... you know. On our kitchen floor!"

"Well, it wouldn't have been the first time."

Oops. I probably said too much.

"Have you and Mimi been sleeping together?" Hikari asks a little baffled.

"I really don't want to talk about this, Hikari."

"Tai, I'm concerned."

"Why? I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

"This isn't like you. What has been happening lately that you've resorted to casually sleeping with one of our mutual friends? I know you don't tell me everything and that's fine but if something is wrong then you should know that you can tell me anything. I want to help you."

"Hikari, it's really complicated and I don't want to get you involved. Seriously, just let it go; it doesn't even matter. What I do with Mimi is my own business."

I'm about to walk into my room when she says something that makes me freeze: "I read the documents on your computer."

I stay frozen, I can feel my face getting hot. Why was Hikari on my computer in the first place? She's not one to snoop so how would she just so happen to stumble across all of those Rambling entries? I'm absolutely embarrassed now. My little sister has officially read everything that's been going wrong in my life lately. She knows all of my secrets; the ones that only Dr. Anderson knows about and the only reason I tell her anything is because she's being paid to listen.

"Why were you on my computer?" I ask.

"I had to use it to write a paper for school. When I went to open a blank Word document, your saved entries kind of just popped up. I didn't mean to read them, Tai. I'm so sorry. I know it was an invasion of your privacy but once I started I just couldn't stop. You haven't been telling me anything lately so once I started reading them everything just started making sense. I really am sorry."

I sigh. I'm not mad at her. It's not like she did it intentionally; Hikari's not that kind of person.

"It's okay," I reply, "I'm kind of glad you did, actually. Now that you know... what do you think?"

"Well, for starters, the whole thing with Sora... it's pretty-"

"Messed up? Yeah, I know."

"I was actually going to use the word complicated but okay. How long have you had feelings for her?"

"I don't know. A while now I guess."

"Does she know?"

"No."

"Are you planning to tell her?"

"No."

"Tai-"

"Hikari, look. Yamato is my best friend. He is head over heels in love with Sora and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize their relationship. They're supposed to be together no matter what. How I feel doesn't matter."

"Tai, if I tell you something about Yamato that Takeru told me in confidence do you swear on your life that you won't go and tell Sora about it?"

"Hikari, you know you can tell me anything."

"Yamato has been... well, I guess cheating for lack of a better term. Well, no, not cheating really since he and Sora haven't technically been together for the past two months."

"What are you talking about?"

"He may claim up and down that he's in love with Sora and can't live without her, and I believe him I really do, but in the time that they've been apart... he's kind of been seeing someone else."

I'm taken aback by this revelation, "That doesn't make any sense. Yama's been trying and trying to get Sora back ever since she broke up with him. Why would he be seeing someone else in the mean time?"

"I don't know, Tai. You're a guy you tell me."

"It just... Oh."

Yamato's not seeing someone else; well, not in the emotional sense anyway. He's been sleeping with someone else. What the hell? If Sora knew about that she'd be heartbroken! Yamato's a pig. Who the hell sleeps with someone casually just to fill a void? Oh, wait.

"Yamato's not seeing someone else," I finally say.

"How do you know?" Hikari wonders.

"If nothing else he's just been sleeping around because he's lonely. Believe me when I tell you this: men are pigs."

She giggles, even though she didn't mean to.

"Please don't tell Sora," she says.

"I won't."

"It's not our place to tell her something like this. If Yamato wants to tell her then that's his choice. We don't need to get involved in someone else's personal life."

"Why all of a sudden did you decide to tell me this? Won't Takeru be mad if he finds out? He's your best friend. You're not usually one to share people's secrets; especially his."

"Takeru is my best friend, yes, but you're my brother. Yamato is his brother and both he and Sora are your best friends. I think if anyone should know it should be you. You have this image of Yamato in your head that he's such a good guy and would go to any length to have Sora back in his life... but there is a darker side to Yamato that most people haven't seen. Takeru has seen that side. I guess what I'm trying to say is that no one is perfect. We all have our flaws and we shouldn't be judged based on those flaws. Everyone makes mistakes. This is Yamato's mistake."

"You don't have to preach to me about mistakes. I think I've already mastered that one."

"You're a really good person, Tai. I'd hate to see you end up hurt in the end because of this whole mess."

"Who is the girl Yamato's been sleeping with?"

"I'm not exactly sure. She doesn't go to our school so I don't think we know her. I think he met her after a concert or something."

I shake my head, "A groupie? Really? That's just sad."

"Again, not our place to judge."

"I guess you're right. Well kiddo, I'm glad we had this talk. I feel a lot better sharing it with someone. While we're on topic, don't have sex and don't do drugs. Just say no."

She just laughs.

* * *

><p>I'm lying in bed later that night, thinking about life and getting ready to go to sleep when I receive a text message from Mimi. She wants me to come over but there's no way that would even be possible. My parents are both home and that would not fly well. I think she forgets that I still live at home.<p>

_Rents are home. Can't. Sorry. _I respond.

When about ten minutes or so pass and she hasn't responded I start to worry. I end up texting her again.

_How was your date?_

I know it's snide but I'm honestly curious how it went. Did she have a good time? Did they make out? I mean, not that I care or anything.

_Kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. _She responds. She then follows it up with: _We can talk tomorrow. Goodnight._

Shes left me even more curious now. Just based on her lack of commentary on how the date went I'm going to assume not so well. If nothing else, I can probably weasel it out of Koushiro in the morning.

* * *

><p>I am dragging the next morning at school. I woke up late, missed breakfast, and ended up taking a cold shower because someone (Hikari) decided to take all the hot water. I didn't sleep very well either so needless to say it's probably going to be a bad day. The fact that it's Monday doesn't help my foul mood either.<p>

I'm standing at my locker when Koushiro decides joins me, like he does every other morning. His expression is cheerful. Perhaps last night went better than I assumed.

"Good morning, Tai," he says with a smile that is way too happy for this early in the morning.

"You're awfully chipper today," I reply, still grouchy.

He shrugs, "No more than usual."

"How did last night go?"

His face falls, "How do you know about last night?"

"Uh, Mimi told me?"

"I guess that makes sense. You two are best friends after all."

I'm not exactly sure where he got that assumption but I just go with it, "So how was it?"

"It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yeah, I mean it wasn't anything more than I expected it to be."

"Are you planning to go out again?"

"Probably not."

"That bad, huh?"

"No, we had a really good time actually. I wouldn't really consider it a date though; there was no kissing or hand holding or any of that stuff. It was more of just a way for the two of us to catch up. It became very clear to me early on that she wasn't looking for anything serious; or anything period."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"That it didn't go the way you wanted."

"Tai, I went on a date with one of the most attractive girls in our social circle. Just because nothing more will come of it doesn't mean I didn't have a good time."

The warning bell for first period rings and Koushiro and I say our goodbyes.

The day drags by considerably slow. I'm not sure if it's sheer boredom or selective hearing that grabs my attention during last period. The gossip train has been running ramped today and it's almost been solely focused on Yamato and Sora. The two girls that sit behind me haven't stopped talking about it since class started. I normally tune them out but when I hear the term "slut bag" thrown out more than once in reference to Sora, it infuriates the hell out of me. I decide to say something.

"Are your lives really so pathetic that you have to sit there and slam someone else's relationship right in front of their best friend?" I say, "Mind your own damn business and shut the hell up."

"Mr. Yagami, face the front please," the teacher calls out.

I give them a final glare and turn back to the front of the room. It doesn't take long before they start whispering again.

"He's the one that's in love with Sora, right? Aren't they like best friends or something?" One says.

"They all used to be best friends. That is, until he went and put the moves on Sora. Yamato found out about it and totally freaked."

"Is that why they got in a fist fight and now he has to go to therapy?"

"Yep."

"Poor Yama. It must be heartbreaking knowing your girlfriend and best friend are both backstabbers."

"Oh, no worries. I hear Tai's been shacking up with Sora's best friend. Some chick from America. Rumor has it they've been sleeping together. She was at Yamato's party this past weekend, remember?"

Do these girls really think I can't hear what they're saying? Better question: how the hell do they know about Mimi and I?

"Oh my gosh. That skinny blonde chick that was wearing the totally amazing red heels? That's so pathetic. He can't have the one he wants so he resorts to her best friend instead. They should have their own reality show."

By this point I'm fuming. I'm seeing red and can't control what happens next. I stand up from my desk and turn to face the two gossip queens behind me. I slam my fist down on the desk; one of them jumps back and yelps out.

"Mr. Yagami!" I hear my teacher yell.

"You two have no idea what you're talking about! I suggest you shut your damn mouths before I shut them for you! Stupid bitches," I yell.

The room is silent and a couple people gasp. I end up shoving everything off the girls' desks onto the floor before I'm hauled out of the room by my teacher.

"Principal. NOW," the teacher says before slamming the classroom door in my face.

I have to take a couple of breaths before I calm down and my heart stops racing. Shit. What have I just gotten myself into? So much for my streak of good behavior.

* * *

><p>I'm sitting in waiting area outside the principal's office waiting out my punishment when Dr. Anderson casually strolls by. She sees me sitting there and instantly starts asking questions.<p>

"Oh, no. What happened? Please tell me you didn't punch someone."

I just shake my head, "No. I didn't punch anyone."

"Mr. Yagami used foul language toward a student in class," the principal's assistant states.

"Oh dear."

I know she's about to lecture me about how I should learn to control my temper but the Principal, Dr. Greene, decides to join us at that moment.

"Mr. Yagami," he says indicating I need to come in his office, "Ah, Dr. Anderson. You know Mr. Yagami better than I do. Care to join us?"

"Yes, actually," she says and follows me in the office.

I take a seat in the chair adjacent to his desk. Dr. Anderson stands by the door with her arms crossed. Dr. Greene looks stressed out. Me being here is probably the last thing he wants to deal with right now.

"Would you like to explain to us what happened in class?" Dr. Greene asks after sitting down.

"I lost my temper, " I say.

"Why did you lose your temper?"

"The girls behind me were saying some things that upset me."

"What could possibly have been said to make you interrupt a class and throw their personal belongings on the floor?"

I look to Dr. Anderson for guidance. I don't know what to say to keep myself from getting expelled at this point. I see no sympathy on her face. She thinks I deserve to be here after what Dr. Greene just said.

"Mr. Yagami," Dr. Greene says, awaiting my answer.

"I... it doesn't matter at this point, does it? Just go ahead and punish me. You wouldn't understand anyways," I reply.

Dr. Greene sighs and turns to Dr. Anderson, "I thought you said he was making progress? Lashing out in class is not a form of improvement."

"What did the girls say to make you so upset?" Dr. Anderson asks, ignoring his comment.

"Does it matter? Once again I'm the one that's paying for it so why would I even bother justifying myself to anyone?" I say.

"As much as I'd _love_ to indulge in another episode of your teenage angst, I have prior engagements that need to be taken care of. Detention this Saturday," Dr. Greene says, "Have a good day, Mr. Yagami."

"That's it?" I ask. I'm about to say more but Dr. Anderson coughs and shakes her head indicating to keep my mouth shut. I got off easy. Dr. Greene must really not be in a mood to deal with anyone today.

"Have a good day," I say standing and leaving quickly before he changes his mind.

* * *

><p>I decide to just go ahead and leave for the day. There's only thirty minutes left in the school day and I'm pretty sure my teacher doesn't want to see my face again today.<p>

I had originally planned to go see Mimi after school but I'm not in the mood to hang out with anyone today so I just go home instead. She won't be very happy about it but oh well. It is what it is.

I get home and the house is empty. I have no idea where my mom is and I'm pretty sure Dad's at work. The more I think about it the more I realize that my family is never home. Why is that?

I grab any form of junk food I can find in the pantry and veg out on the couch in front of the TV. Miko joins me as I rip into a bag of buffalo flavored chips; the extra spicy kind. She's eying the chips hungrily.

"What? You want one?" I ask her, holding out a chip. She sniffs it and then licks it. She then jumps back and starts hissing as she continuously licks her lips. I'm cracking up at this point because she keeps coming back for it even though she knows it's spicy. I eventually just drop the chip on the floor and she goes after it. If nothing else it'll keep her occupied for a while.

I end up eating way too much and pass out on the couch. I'm not sure how long I'm out when I hear someone walk through the front door. It's Hikari. Surprisingly, she's alone.

"Why is Miko hissing at a chip?" Hikari wonders.

I look over the couch and see that Miko has moved the chip into the kitchen and is still hissing at it whenever she licks it. Do animals have a five second memory lapse or something?

"Got me, she's your cat," I reply, "What time is it?"

"After six. Have you been sleeping all day?" She wonders.

"Looks like it. Where have you been all afternoon?" I ask, sitting up and yawning.

"I had to help with the end-of-school fundraiser and then went to Takeru's basketball practice. He had Yamato drive me home."

"Oh, okay."

"So..."

"Great. What? Nothing good ever comes after that word."

"I heard you got kicked out of class today."

I roll my eyes, "Even the freshmen know what's happening in my life. Who told you that?"

"I heard it from the lunch lady, who heard it from the gym teacher, who heard it from I don't know who else."

"Wow. Okay then. Good to know I'm the hot topic amongst the school faculty."

"What happened?"

"Something stupid, like always. These two girls were talking crap so I made a scene."

"Tai."

"I know, I know. I need to learn to control my temper. Believe me, I got it."

"What were they saying?"

"Just talking crap about Sora and Yamato. They wouldn't stop so I decided to involve myself."

"Tai, you can't make people stop saying hurtful things. We're teenagers; people talk."

"I know. They just caught me at a really bad time."

"Do mom and dad know?"

"I don't think so. I got detention this Saturday but nothing else. If we could keep this between us that would be great."

"Yeah, sure. If detention is all you got then I doubt the school will contact mom and dad. They probably would have already called by now."

"I'm not really worried about it. Being grounded until I'm thirty is probably a better option right now anyways."

"Are you hungry? I can make dinner."

"Yeah, sure. Anything is fine. Where are mom and dad anyways?"

"They're back in Kyoto to be with grandma and grandpa. Grandma apparently broke her finger doing something she shouldn't have been doing and now she's acting like the world is ending. You know how she is. They'll be home in the morning at the latest."

I'm rolling my eyes. My poor parents. Both of my grandparents are in excellent health they just act like they can't survive alone. They want my parents around all the time is all is what it is. I can't even count how many times they've tried to convince my parents to move all of us out to Kyoto. They even offered for us to live with them. I guess they're just lonely. I know the feeling.

I check my phone for missed messages and see nothing. I'm not going to lie... I'm a little surprised I haven't heard from Mimi at all today. She was so eager to talk to me last night and now she hasn't said anything. I decide not to push it and don't say anything either. I hope everything is okay though.

* * *

><p>By the time Wednesday rolls around and I still haven't heard from Mimi, I start to get a little concerned. I run into Koushiro after school on my way to Dr. Anderson's office and ask him if he's had any contact with her either.<p>

"I haven't heard from Mimi since the weekend. Is everything okay?" He wonders.

"I'm not sure," I say.

"That's strange. I hope she's all right."

"I'm sure she's fine. It's only been a couple of days she's probably just busy."

"Yeah. Most likely."

"All right. Well, I'll see you around."

Oh, who am I kidding. I'm worried. Mimi wouldn't just completely ignore me for no reason. I'm almost tempted to skip counseling and head straight for her condo to see what's going on. I might get expelled if I do that though. I guess I'll just have to suck it up and wait the hour out.

"You're on edge today," Dr. Anderson observes.

"What? Oh, yeah I guess," I say.

"Is everything okay?"

"I guess. I haven't heard from Mimi since Sunday and its kind of got me worried."

"Maybe she's just busy."

"I thought the same thing but it's not like her to just completely shut herself off from the world. I've gotten no calls or texts... she hasn't even updated her Facebook status in almost a week. Believe me, if you knew her, that's kind of a big deal."

"Have you tried contacting her and not received a response?"

"No. I was trying to give her some space. Did I tell you she went on a date with Koushiro?"

"What brought about that change of heart?"

"I have no idea. She said something about how she should be dating guys like Kou because they don't break your heart or cheat on you in the end. Isn't that some bullshit?"

"Language. What made her say that?"

"Read this and you'll understand."

I take the Rambling entry out of my bag and hand it to her. I sit quietly as she reads through it.

"I can see why she'd be upset with you," she says, "At the end it says you were going to prove to her that you like her. What happened there?"

"I showed up at her door with these really expensive flowers and apologized for everything. I told her that I think we should slow things down and that I want to treat her like she deserves to be treated. She then proceeded to tell me she had a date with Koushiro. It kind of surprised me, to say the least. I didn't really know how to react after that so I left. I talked to Kou the next day at school and he said everything was fine but that Mimi wasn't interested in him. She told me Sunday night that she wanted to talk about it but then I got kicked out of class Monday and decided to just go home. I haven't talked to her since then."

"Interesting. Well, maybe she just has a lot going on. She'll contact you when she can."

"If you say so."

* * *

><p>I leave the session and decide to just go ahead and drop by Mimi's just to make sure everything is okay. At least if I see her in person she can't block me out or hang up on me.<p>

I'm standing outside her door and knock loudly. I hear shuffling inside and then a set of muffled voices. Mimi has company over. Who though?

Mimi answers and a look of panic shoots across her face, "Tai! What are you doing here?"

She has that same look on her face she always has when she's been crying. Her cheeks are red, eyes are puffy, and she just looks plain sad.

"I came to make sure you were still alive. I haven't talked to you since the weekend. Is everything okay?" I wonder.

"Tai, this is a really bad time."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Who is it, babe?" A voice calls from inside the condo. A male voice.

A hand reaches out and opens the door fully. A guy with platinum, wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes appears. He looks familiar but I can't put a name with his face.

"Who the hell are you?" I ask.

"I should be asking you the same thing," he replies just as rudely. He has a strange accent; one I'm not familiar with which leads me to believe that Japanese isn't his first language, "This is _my _girlfriends apartment after all."

"Girlfriend?" I repeat.

"I am not your girlfriend, Michael," Mimi says.

"Wait, _your ex, _Michael?"

"We're trying to work things out," Michael interrupts.

"No, we're not," Mimi counters.

"Mimi, what is he doing here?" I wonder.

"Look dude, whatever you're trying to pull here she's not interested. Mimi's my girl and if you'll excuse us we were just about to eat..."

Michael grabs Mimi by the arm and pulls her in the condo so he can shut the door in my face.

"Wait a minute!" I say throwing myself in the doorway, "I'm not done talking to her."

"Well she's done talking to you so back off!" Michael says pushing Mimi behind him.

"She can speak for herself, Douchebag."

"Tai, don't please. He's been drinking. He won't listen to anything you have to say right now," Mimi says.

"Mimi, why the hell is he here? Doesn't he live in New York?" I ask.

"It's a really long story. Can we please just talk about this later? It's really not a good time."

"You heard her. Now leave," Michael says and pushes my shoulders.

I stumble backwards and it takes everything in me not to beat pretty boy's face in.

"Don't touch me," I threaten.

"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?" He proceeds to pushing me again.

"Michael, stop it!" Mimi says grabbing onto his arm.

"Stay out of this!" He says and shoves her. She stumbles and trips to the ground and that's when I lose it. He can push me around all he wants but when he lays a hand on Mimi, that's when things get serious.

I charge forward and tackle him to the floor. We both start throwing punches as we each try to get the upper hand. Michael is a big guy. He has about three or four inches on me and probably about thirty or forty pounds. Luckily for me this is not my first physical encounter. I know how to handle myself and eventually get the upper hand. I hear Mimi shouting at us to stop and I am instantly pulled into the memory of my fight with Yamato. I falter and he ends up getting a good hit on the right side of my face.

"Stop it! Both of you stop, please!" Mimi shouts and tries to separate us. She manages to get her arms through mine just as I get one last good punch in on pretty boy. She pushes me toward the front door. Michael doesn't bother coming after us and Mimi gets us outside and shuts the door. She's crying again.

"Why didn't you just leave when I told you to?" She shouts hysterically.

"Why the hell is he here?" I yell back.

"This is not the time or place for this right now. You need to just leave."

"I'm not leaving you alone with that asshole! He's drunk and might do something stupid!"

"He's here because I asked him to be."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Tai... I might be pregnant. And it's not yours."

I stop breathing.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>**Runs away nervously as readers ready their pitch forks...**<p>

Not gonna lie... I love leaving y'all in suspense lol. With stories comes twists and turns. You should all know that by now (especially reading this story). As always, please review I'm loving your feedback!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer -** I have to admit that I hate these things. Well, I don't own anything. There you have it.

**Author's Note:** I've been slacking, I know. Truth be told, I've had this chapter written for a while I just haven't had a chance to read through it and edit it so it's just been sitting there. But today is the day! Also, sorry if the chapters start coming further between (Holidays and what not). But there's not much left to this story. Thank you all again!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

_"The worst mistake anyone can make is being too afraid to make one." -Unknown_**  
><strong>

It's Saturday. I'm sitting in detention with about ten other people, bored out of my mind. Not surprisingly, Daisuke is here as well. From my understanding, he has a tendency to be late for class quite often so he gets detention a lot. His excuse is usually "I can't help it if the girls want to talk to me!" or something along those lines. Normally, he'd be able to talk convince anyone to do just about anything, but considering he has a lot of the same teachers I had at his age, they kind of know what they're dealing with now. We're professional bullshitters. There's nothing more to it.

We aren't allowed to talk to each other so we're all just sitting here waiting for the clock to strike noon so we can leave. The teacher looks just about as thrilled to be here as we all are. He's reading a book while we write an essay explaining why we're here and what we plan to do to fix the situation. We're talking MLA format, correct grammar, transitions, and everything on said essay. It's really lame. I think they're just doing it to torture is. I doubt anyone actually reads these things.

Despite the whole week of school being somewhat of a distraction, I still haven't been able to stop thinking about what happened at Mimi's the other day. She has been calling me non-stop but I haven't responded. She wants to explain what's going on but I don't want to hear any of it. "I might be pregnant" sounds pretty damn clear to me. What else is there to explain? It's also pretty clear that her and that douchebag are probably getting back together -if they haven't already. I know exactly how that conversation is going to go down. She's going to say that he claims hes changed and won't ever cheat again, and sadly she'll probably believe it. I'm sorry, but once a cheater, always a cheater. There's no coming back from that. Not to mention, I have a black eye and swollen cheek to commemorate the lovely occasion. That was a fun conversation explaining to my parents how it happened.

I glance up at the clock and moan when I realize it's only eleven twenty. Only twenty minutes have passed and it feels like I've been here all day. I look over at Daisuke; he's asleep, head face down on the desk. Half the other people here appear to be asleep as well. This hour is going to drag...

I guess I ended up falling asleep too because once the bell starts ringing to indicate it's time to go, the teacher gathers our essays and barely waits for us to leave the room before taking off himself.

"Do you have plans right now?" Daisuke asks once the hour is up. He's carrying a duffel bag and wearing basketball shorts and sneakers. I'm pretty sure I know what he's going to ask.

"No I don't have any plans. What did you have in mind?" I reply.

"I was gonna meet Ken and Koushiro at the park for a game. You in?"

"Kou wants to play soccer again?"

"Yeah! He's actually getting pretty good at it. He figured up some mathematical nonsense to coordinate certain kicks and speed for perfect performance. I don't understand any of it but it seems to work for him."

"He would. Alright, I'll join you."

"Sweet. We'd better hurry. I told them I'd be there about thirty minutes ago. They've been blowing up my phone ever since."

"Daisuke, you knew we had detention. Why would you tell them that?"

"Well, normally the teacher just makes us write that stupid essay and then lets us leave. I've never actually stayed the whole hour before."

I shake my head, "Let's just get going."

"Sure!"

I drive us both to the park where we meet up with Ken and Koushiro and some other guys from the school's soccer team. We break into two groups, me being the captain of one team and Daisuke being the captain of the other. Now is my chance to prove to all these young kids how great at this game I really am, considering a lot of them were questioning it once I'd been kicked off the team.

The game starts getting pretty heated and we've managed to attract some on-lookers. We all agreed to play until one team reaches five points and then call it quits. It may not sound like much but between Daisuke and me, this game could take hours. We are both currently tied at three so the pressure is on. Daisuke is a sore loser and let's face it, I want to win too. It's basically all or nothing at this point.

I manage to score another point for my team just as raindrops begin falling from the sky. Someone mentions that maybe we should call game and head home but I refuse.

"Oh, no. We are seeing this game through to the end rain or shine!" I tell them.

"Tai's right," Daisuke joins in, "We aren't quitting now! Suck it up and keep going!"

A couple guys moan and start complaining about getting sick but we keep playing.

I'm running down the field with half of Daisuke's team at my heels. I have a clear shot of the goal. I can almost taste the victory on my tongue. It's so close I can almost...

"Tai, watch out!" Was the last thing I heard before I tripped and went slamming into the ground. Now, this wouldn't be so bad had it not been for the fact that my leg decided to go one way and the rest of me go another.

"Tai!" Daisuke shouts and runs to my side.

I think the game is over.

There is a searing pain so incredible shooting through my leg I can barely breathe. I try moving my foot but it's not use; it only adds to the pain. I cry out in pain as I try not to black out.

"I'm so sorry! I hit a wet patch and just slipped! I didn't mean to run into him!" I hear one of Daisuke's friends say.

"We need to get him to the hospital. I think it's broken," Koushiro says.

"What?" I panic, "What's broken?"

"We need to get him to a car!" Daisuke cries.

"No, don't touch him!" a feminine voice calls across the field.

I turn toward the voice and see Sora running straight for us. Where the heck did she come from?

"Kou, call an ambulance. He might go into shock if you try to move him. The bone made a clean cut through the skin," Sora says.

"What bone?" I say looking down at my ankle. It's like something out of a freaking horror movie. I have to look away before I throw up.

"Oh my God," are the last words I mutter before everything around me turns black.

* * *

><p>I wake up in a room with white walls. Everything is a little blurry and my body is completely numb. There's the sound of feet shuffling and a constant beeping noise.<p>

"Heaven?" I say out loud.

Someone laughs, "No, sorry. You're in the ER. You took a pretty nasty fall out there."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Kido. Nice to meet you."

"Kido? Doctor? Are you Jyou's father?"

"That would be correct."

"I've never met you before. How come I've never met you before?"

"Well, you seem to have a pretty clean hospital record so unless instances like this happen, you wouldn't have ever met me."

"What happened? Did we win the game?"

Someone else laughs, this time a woman, "Leave it to Tai to wonder whether he won the game or not. Never mind the fact that his leg is broken."

"Hikari?" I ask, relief flushing over me.

"How are you doing, Tai?" She asks, standing next to the hospital bed and holding my hand.

"Why am I wrapped up like a burrito?"

I look down and see that they've got the hospital blanket pulled all the way up to my neck. The room is cold, I get that, sterile purposes and what not, but this is just ridiculous.

"Brace yourself, Tai," this time it's Daisuke that speaks, "They had to remove your entire body. They said that there's enough fat in your head and hair on your scalp to build you a new body. They have scientists in the other room right now trying to put one together. They said you might come out looking like a twelve year old girl though."

"Shut up, Dai," I say and everyone laughs.

"Sweetie, how are you feeling?" My mother asks.

Where are all these people coming from? It's like they're materializing out of thin air.

"I'm fine," I reply.

"You took a pretty nasty fall out there. It was a clean break though. We were able to reposition the bone back into place during surgery. You may set off metal detectors now though because we had to place a metal rod in to set the bone in place. You're going to have to wear a cast for about twelve weeks though until the bone is healed," Dr. Kido says, "Following which you'll need physical therapy to get it back in shape."

"Surgery? Wait a minute. How long have I been out?" I wonder.

"About four hours. We had to keep you sedated because you kept screaming at everyone. It's normal not to remember. You were on the verge of going into shock."

"Well, I don't feel anything now."

"That's because they've got you doped up on some wicked pain killers. You tried to bite one of the guys in the ambulance. It's was freaking amazing!" Daisuke comments.

"We're going to keep you over night just to maintain control on your pain. Until then, just relax," Dr. Kido says, "I'll be back to check on him in an hour or so. Oh, and if you feel the pain starting to come back, just push the small button next to your bed and it will shoot more morphine into your system. It only works once every other hour though so don't use it unless you really need it."

I look around the room and see the familiar faces of family and friends. My mom and dad, Hikari, Takeru, and Daisuke. But wait a minute. Didn't I see Sora at the soccer field right before I passed out? Or was I hallucinating at that point?

"There are more people in the waiting room," Hikari says as though she can read my mind, "Once word got out that you were having emergency surgery, everyone who has ever been in association with you decided to show up. You've got quite a bit of a crowd out there."

"Yeah, you would think you were on your death bed or something," Daisuke jokes.

"Why aren't they all in here with us?" I ask. I look around the room and see flower arrangements and balloons saying "Get Well Soon!" all over the place. Daisuke's right. You _would _think I was on my death bed.

"There's a limit capacity. Only five allowed in the room at a time and even that's pushing it. We'll take turns so everyone can come see you," Mom says.

"Speaking of which, we should probably give the others a chance to come in here before visiting hours end. Come on guys," Hikari says. Takeru follows in tow but Daisuke just stands there.

"Dai," Takeru says, catching his attention, "You too."

"Oh. Right. Be brave, Taichi! I won't let them cut off your leg, I swear!" Daisuke says dramatically before exiting.

"Hikari's friends are... colorful," Mom says.

"No, that's just Daisuke," I correct.

"How are you holding up, son?" Dad wonders.

"I'm okay. I can't really feel anything at the moment so I guess that's a good sign."

"That's good to hear. The doctor says your leg will heal quickly so that's a good thing. All these years of playing soccer and you get hurt playing with your friends. What are the odds?"

"Tai..." The voice is so soft it's almost inaudible.

The three of us turn toward the door to see Sora; a vision in black. Wait a minute... black skinny jeans, black shirt, black heels... am I really dead? Am I imagining that I'm talking to everyone but they're really just here to say their goodbyes? There's only one way to determine this. I end up doing the unthinkable: I pound my broken leg.

"Holy shit that hurts!" I scream out in pain and grab my leg.

"Taichi! What did you do that for?" My mother cries in horror.

"I thought I was dreaming! I had to inflict pain to know the truth!" I shout.

"You couldn't just pinch yourself? You really had to beat the leg you just broke?" My dad asks.

"Pinching is for pussies," I reply and push the button to shoot more morphine into my system.

"And this is my child..." Dad mutters.

"Language, Taichi," my mother scolds.

"Come on, Hun. Let's go find some coffee."

My dad ushers my mom out of the room and Sora enters slowly. She stands next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" She asks.

"Why does everyone always ask that?" I wonder, "It's like asking a cripple if they're going to be okay because they'll never walk again."

"I didn't mean- I, uhm."

I laugh, "Sora, I'm kidding. I'm fine. Well, I was fine, until I punched myself in the broken shin like the idiot I am."

"Not your brightest idea."

"Eh, most of my ideas aren't. What can you do?"

"I'm really glad you're okay. I've been worried sick."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What were you doing at the park right before I got hurt?"

"Oh, that. Well, Daisuke mentioned you guys might be playing and I thought watching the two of you on opposing teams would be fun. Just because I can't play any more doesn't mean I don't like watching my friends do it. That, and I enjoy watching Daisuke play."

"That's... a little creepy. Can I ask why?"

"It's going to sound stupid but there's this moment, when Daisuke is warming up; getting ready to play. It's like everything else in the world is forgotten and his only thought is on that game. He isn't smiling for once; he's focused. It's one of those rare moments where Motomiya Daisuke is actually serious about something; passionate, even. I like watching that moment because it's rare and only lasts for so long before he turns back into his usual goofy self. You have the same exact look right before you play."

"Oh. Alright then... So, where's Yamato?"

"In the waiting room. He'll be in here shortly."

"Who else is here?"

"I think the better question is: who isn't here?"

I laugh, "Seriously?"

"Yeah. You're apparently one popular guy, Yagami."

"You're just now realizing this?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Is... is Mimi here?"

She stares at me for a minute not sure how to answer that, "Of course she's here. She cares about you. We all do."

"Oh."

"She told me you guys had a fight."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a fight. More like a difference of opinion."

"She also said you haven't been returning her calls."

"I don't know what to say to her. Did she happen to tell you why we aren't speaking?"

"No. Just something about her ex being here and you showing up at a bad time."

"Well, there's more to it then that but yeah, that's part of it."

"Tai, she cares about you. I just... I don't think she knows how to handle those feelings right now. She was with Michael for almost as long as Yamato and I have been together. Believe me when I say it's not easy letting someone go that you've been with for so long. I can tell you that they're not getting back together, which is what she fears you're thinking."

"What difference does it make? He still came here. He flew all the way from New York to see her. If that doesn't scream 'Take me back!' I don't know what does."

"She doesn't want to be with him. He's... not the nicest person in the world. She knows better. He's just... familiar? I guess. I don't know. I'm not sure what the whole story is behind it so I guess I can't say much. She doesn't seem too thrilled that he was here though."

"She's the one that invited him though. He wouldn't have come unless she asked him to."

She just stares at me, trying to assess my change of tone. She doesn't know Mimi and I have been physically intimate. Hell, no one does. Well, except Hikari and Miyako since they walked in on us but still. If nothing else it's only made things more complicated. It's probably in the best interest for everyone if Mimi and I just stop doing what we're doing before someone finds out. We need to be friends... and that's it. Nothing physical. Not any more. She's emotionally damaged and I'm emotionally unavailable. That's all there is to it.

"Can I ask you something?" Sora says.

"Hmm?" I reply.

"You don't have to answer this... but we've all kind of been wondering."

"We? We what?"

"Are you and Mimi... together? Like, together, together? Physically?"

I know I should tell her the truth. But I can't. Honestly, I don't think it's anyone's business but mine and Mimi's.

"No," I lie.

"Okay."

"Let's say that hypothetically we were... would that change things?"

"Hypothetically? I'm not sure. You remember how weird the transition was when Yama and I started dating. I'm not sure how everyone would react if you and Mimi were to start too."

"Mimi and I dated before though and it wasn't weird with everyone."

"Yeah, but we were fourteen... and it didn't last very long."

"But we still did."

"I don't know, Tai. I was honestly just curious, that's all."

"How would it make you feel if we were?"

"Me?"

"Yeah."

She stares at me, silent. She wasn't expecting that question to be thrown at her. A knock at the door indicates more people are waiting to come in. Sora stands and parts with some final words: "It doesn't matter what I think. That chance has passed."

What does she mean by that? I don't get a chance to ask before she starts to leave.

"I'm glad you're okay," she says. She kisses my forehead, holding it a little longer than she probably should, and then she leaves just as Mimi appears in the doorway. I see the two give a wordless exchange. Sora reaches out and squeezes Mimi's hand as if to say that everything will be okay. She then walks away leaving Mimi and I alone. I'm not ready to talk to her yet, especially not while I'm drugged up.

Mimi enters the room and shuts the door behind her for our privacy, I guess. She hovers for a moment before walking across the room to sit next to me. I see her cringe at the sight of my swollen face and black eye.

"Does is hurt?" She asks reaching out to gently brush the hair out of my face. I somewhat flinch at her touch.

"No," I reply.

Of all the things I've been through today, my black eye is the least of my problems. Truth be told, I forgot about it until now.

She sighs, "Tai, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for things to get out of hand like they did. I shouldn't have handled the situation in that way. Michael left yesterday. He won't be coming back."

"Is it true? Are you... pregnant?"

She smiles and shakes her head, "No. I'm not."

"Really?"

"Really."

I sigh in relief. It's still weird, but at least she's not pregnant with that asshole's baby. Mimi's a good person, but she is in no way ready to be someone's mother.

"What made you think you were?" I wonder.

She shrugs, "I missed my period. I didn't think anything of it but then I started getting super emotional and threw up for three days straight. I panicked, took a test, and it came back positive. This all happened Monday and needless to say, I freaked. I called Michael in tears and he booked the next flight out. He kept trying to convince me that we should get back together for the baby. I kept telling him no but he wouldn't leave it alone. I went to the doctor Thursday to make sure and when they did an ultrasound they said there was nothing there. I.e, not pregnant. _That's_ the reason I didn't call you all week and _that's_ the reason Michael was here."

"How did you get a positive pregnancy test then?"

"They said something about a hormonal imbalance. I'm on birth control. I guess missing periods just happens sometimes."

"Was Michael devastated when you told him?" I say with a smirk.

She just laughs, "Yeah, right. He still tried to convince me that we should work things out anyway. I told him that nothing would ever happen between us again because I don't trust him and never will. It took a lot of screaming and yelling and tears, but he left shortly after that."

"Why didn't you tell me? When you suspected you were, I mean."

"Because it wasn't your problem to deal with."

"Mimi, you're my friend. You should have told me. I would have helped you through it. Well, after the initial shock wore off that is."

"I know. I'm sorry. Like I said, I panicked. Not having my parents around and you guys all being busy all the time... I just needed something familiar again. Michael just so happened to be that familiarity."

"I'm always here for you, Mimi. Just remember that."

"Thanks. You're sweet."

"Eh, so I've been told."

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Thursday, May 11th. <strong>_

_So I am officially home from the hospital and trying to get used to the fact that I cannot move my leg. Using crutches sucks. I used to think they looked so fun; you know, swinging instead of walking; knocking people over on purpose but then them saying it's okay because I'm crippled... Yeah, I was wrong. It's a freaking workout and a pain in the ass. The sooner my leg heals the better._

_You're probably asking yourself "What the hell did he do now?" Great question! Well, long story short, I broke my leg. Yep, that's right. Broke the damn thing. The bone went straight through the skin and now I have a metal rod there. How? you ask. I am a little embarrassed to admit it so let's just say... I fell... down a flight of stairs... into a pile of hot girls. It also would explain the black eye. Naw, just kidding. The black eye is from Mimi's ex. He's a tool. But that's a long story too. (This whole broken leg thing is also the reason I wasn't in school three days this week and why I missed our Wednesday session).  
><em>

_Now, I wouldn't even bother writing anything except that you're probably getting irritated because I haven't been saying much lately. Well, here it goes._

_Mimi and I had a long talk about everything. We saw each other briefly while I was in the hospital but with so many people coming and going it was hard for us to have any privacy. I managed to convince my parents to let her pick me up Monday night so we could talk. There's a strict "No one of the opposite sex in Tai or Hikari's bedroom with the door shut" rule in my house. Well, without the door shut privacy in my house is kind of non-existent._

_ For the record, we are no longer sleeping together. No physical or emotional commitments at all right now. We both came to the conclusion that she's too emotionally damaged and I'm too emotionally unavailable for either of us to even try and be in a relationship right now. Mimi has some demons she needs to battle and I have to get over this thing with Sora, which is getting better everyday in case you were wondering. We are still good friends though; best friends I would say now. We get along great and there's no awkwardness that has resulted from us being physically intimate with each other._

_I've learned a lot in this whole process. I've learned that friends shouldn't sleep together unless they either have no emotional attachment or want something more from it. I've learned that past relationships can cause problems in the present. I've learned that mistakes have to be made so we can learn from them and know better next time._

_I'm not saying that Mimi and I will never be anything more than friends. Hell, even I can't predict the future. I am willing to give it a shot though; whenever we're both ready. Should we happen to find others along the way then so be it; only time will tell. We will support each other no matter what happens and be happy for one another._

_So yeah. That's what the current status is in my life right now. Mimi and I are just friends. We're each going to do our own thing and hang out when we can. She got a summer job modeling for some fashion line and I've got school to think about. Only two and a half weeks left (Thank you Buddha!) Not to mention we only have two sessions left until graduation. I know you still want my side of the story (believe me, I haven't forgotten). I just want to give you something to remember me by on our last session together. You should write a book about my life. Call it "The Rambling Diaries" or something crazy like that. I'm not gonna lie... it sounds like a best seller to me. Hint, hint._

_But yeah, that's about all I have to say for now. I'm going to do some more soul searching and we'll talk about it next week."_

I save the document and roll myself into the living room. I am so against using those stupid crutches it's ridiculous. I mostly just sit in the rolling chair and wheel myself around the apartment since we don't have any carpet. It works for me and no one complains so it's win-win. Plus, I always have somewhere to sit! Triple win.

"What time is Sora coming over?" Hikari wonders. It's a Thursday afternoon and she's actually home for once (there's no school tomorrow for some weird teacher appreciation holiday bull crap or something). I have a feeling she doesn't want Sora and I to be alone together for fear of history repeating itself.

"Soon, I think. She said she had some errands to run but would be by as soon as she could," I reply.

Sora and I have reconciled for good. We have gotten to the point of being best friends again and letting everything that's happened stay in the past. She's been coming over everyday since I left the hospital. She brings me things from the outside -mostly food- since I can't go anywhere but school and home. I'm happy things are finally starting to get back to normal.

I still love her; that won't change, but now I think it's a different kind of love. I know we'll never be together; not in this lifetime anyway. She and Yamato are happy together, from what I can see, and I'm okay with that. I love her and she loves him which is just fine. I feel like the whole reason they split up in the first place is because of me, even if it wasn't entirely my fault. I was going through a really weird period in my life and I think Sora was too. She had just found out she was moving and things just went chaotic from there. She was upset, I was feeling vulnerable and then a mistake was made. I'm not blaming anyone for it.

Yamato is learning to be okay with everything again too. He still gets kind of uneasy when Sora and I are alone but I always reassure him that nothing is going to happen. Sora and I were best friends before and we still are now. No one has ever really been able to understand our friendship. He just doesn't understand the bond between us. Hell, Mimi doesn't either. We just get each other. We understand each other more than anyone else. When you find a friend like that, you tend to hold on to it for a lifetime. I'm getting there with Mimi but it's just not the same. I feel so comfortable around Sora it's like second nature with her. We just... are.

"Sorry I'm late!" Sora says after Hikari answers the door.

"You're always late what else is new?" I tease.

"Do you want the dumplings or not? Because I'm sure Miko would love to have them," she replies.

Miko begins meowing almost as if she's agreeing with Sora's statement.

"I will fight that cat to the death if she touches those dumplings."

I roll myself into the kitchen and try snatching the take out bag from her.

"Can I get a thank you at least?" She says.

"Fine... thank you, Sora! You're so awesome!" I say sarcastically.

"Eh, good enough."

She hands me the bag of dumplings and I roll myself back into the living room. There's a soccer game on and these silly games are wasting my precious moments with the TV screen.

"How's he doing?" Sora wonders.

"He's pathetic, really. He can't do anything for himself. Men are such babies when they're in pain," Hikari mumbles.

"I heard that!" I say and they both laugh.

I focus my attention back to the TV as the two start talking about something else. The game is getting really heated. There's only ten minutes left in the game and the teams are tied. It's Japan versus South Africa and of course I'm rooting for my homeland. The anticipation of who will win is killing me!

These dumplings Sora brought me are amazing.

"Come on, come on!" I say as Japan steals the ball and runs toward the goal. He's so close! He stops, he kicks...

My phone rings.

"Damn it!" I say as they miss the kick and rudely answer my phone, "What?"

"You must be watching some form of a sports game if you're in a pissy mood."

"Oh, hey Meems. Sorry."

"It's cool! How are you?"

"Well, Japan is officially losing now so not so great. Can I call you back in a little bit? The game's almost over."

"I kind of called for a reason."

"Okay... what's up?"

"I need you to do a favor for me."

"Yeah, sure."

I'm barely paying attention to anything she's saying at this point. Three minutes left in the game...

"I need you to come to New York with me this weekend and pretend to be my boyfriend at my grandmother's surprise ninetieth birthday party."

One minute left!

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll call you back."

I hang up the phone and watch as Japan scores the winning goal. I would literally be jumping up and down right now if that were at all possible. Instead I throw my arms in the air in victory.

"Good game," Sora says taking a seat next to me, "Who was on the phone?"

"Mimi. Something about going to New York this weekend. She said-"

Whoa. What the hell? She wants me to go to New York with her this weekend? And pretend to be her boyfriend? Why...? I quickly dial her back.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to realize what I say," she says.

"Why the hell do you need me to go to New York with you?" I ask.

"It's a really long story."

"My parents wouldn't let me go to New York! I'm half crippled, remember? Not to mention I have school Monday."

"See, here's the thing... I kind of already talked to your parents."

I pull the phone away from my ear and slowly turn my head to glare at Hikari, "You knew about this didn't you?"

She smiles guiltily, "Surprise?"

"Humor me," I say to Mimi, "Let's just say I actually agreed to this... why do you need me to go with you?"

"I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend," she replies.

"Why on Earth would I need to do that?"

"My Nana was so upset when Michael and I broke up. I need her to think that I've moved on and found someone better. It would also give her an explanation as to why I decided to move back to Japan."

"Have you totally flipped your lid? You're willing to lie to your grandmother just to make her sleep better at night? Shame on you, Mimi. Shame."

"Come on, Tai! Please? Please do this for me! Your parents already said you could go and it's a private jet from my dad's company and everything. It'll be the five star treatment."

"Why don't you get Koushiro to be your pretend boyfriend for the weekend? We both know he'd love that."

"Tai, that's not very nice," Sora says but I just roll my eyes.

"It has to be believable. You're the kind of guy I usually date so therefore you're the perfect choice!"

"What about Jyou? Pre-med student, currently trying to save the world one asthma attack at a time. Your family would be so proud if you married a future doctor."

"Again, not realistic."

"Takeru! Takeru would be the perfect choice! Blonde hair, blue eyes, athletic... don't they eat that shit up in America?"

This one gets me a glare from Hikari. She actually uses the phrase "Hell no" which I've never heard her say before.

"Takeru is too young," Mimi says.

"I'd say Daisuke... but then everyone would know it's a lie," I say.

"Please, Tai? Pretty please? Come on. Just do this for me."

I roll myself into my bedroom and shut the door behind me. What I'm about to say next I don't want Hikari or Sora to hear.

"Do we have to pretend make out and all that crap too? Because we've talked about all that."

"We don't have to make out in front of anyone. You just have to come, look nice, and smile. It's a free trip to New York City. If nothing else just go because it's free."

I consider this for a minute. She's talking a private jet, possibly limo access, exclusive parties, and the works for one weekend of me pretending to be her boyfriend... I could handle that.

"You owe me huge," I say.

She squeals, "Thank you so much, Tai! I'll totally make it worth it, I promise!"

She hangs up the phone and I stare blankly at the wall. What the hell did I just get myself into?

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>Mahaha. Oh, Tai. You poor thing. Next chapter will be solely dedicated to Mimi and Tai's weekend trip to New York. You can only imagine the fun things I have planned for these two. (Evil laugh). Please review!<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer - I don't own anything.**

**Author's Note: **Fair warning, the beginning of this chapter gets a little heated. Just a warning. Also, this is my least favorite chapter thus far in the story. I've been reading it over and over and over again trying to decide whether or not I even wanted to post it. I thought seriously about deleting the whole thing and starting over... but that would take another month. So we'll just consider this a "filler" chapter. Next one will be better. Thanks :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

_"There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy." -Author Unknown_

* * *

><p>How the hell did it come to this? How in the world did I get suckered into not only going on a ridiculous three-day weekend trip with Mimi to New York, but also playing the part of her oh-so happy boyfriend that can't live without her? I have got to learn to keep my mouth shut. Oh, and kill my parents for actually agreeing that it was okay for me to go. What parents agree to that? Seriously? Shouldn't they be more concerned with me studying for finals? Or even recovering since, oh, I don't know, I broke my leg a week ago?<p>

I bet it was Hikari! I bet _she's _the one that put my parents up to this! Ohhh, it had to be her. Everyone thinks she's so innocent and nice... they haven't met the real Hikari; the manipulative, will say anything to get me out of the house for the weekend, Hikari. Ugh. I hate my life.

"Cheer up, Buttercup!" Mimi says when she sees the scowl on my face.

We're currently going through security at the airport. My parents (and Hikari... and Sora; even Yamato for some reason) bid us their farewells and let us be on our way. So now I'm left trying to decide whether to turn and run -well, hobble since I'm half crippled- while Mimi's distracted, or stay here and actually go through with this madness. I don't even want to go on this stupid trip. For some reason, my parents are on Mimi's side in this whole thing. If I bailed out they said I was grounded... for ditching a friend in a time of need or something. What exactly did Mimi tell them we were doing this weekend?

"Remove your shoe's please, sir," the security guard says once it's my turn in line.

"Why do you need my shoes?" I ask.

"Security purposes. Just remove them, please."

"That's stupid. My feet will get dirty."

"Sir, are you resisting security?"

"Tai," Mimi says, "Just take off your shoes."

"Shoe," I correct.

"What?" She asks.

"Shoe. One. Shoe. I have a broken leg, remember? I can't put two shoe's on!"

A few people around us snicker but I'm beyond irritated. I attempt to bend over and remove my one shoe. It takes a lot of effort but I finally get the damn thing off. I stick it up on the conveyor belt, along with my belt, and begin to hobble toward the full body scanner when the security guy stops me again.

"Crutches too," he says.

I look at Mimi, "Is this a freaking joke?"

"Crutches, sir."

"You have got to be kidding me..." I all but throw the stupid things on the conveyor belt, "There? Are you happy? Screwing with the cripple. Real nice, dude."

He keeps a straight face as I mumble mean things under my breath and hop -on one leg- through the security scanner. I scream out in frustration as it beeps loudly and attracts even more attention from bystanders.

"Stand to the side, sir," the guy says.

"I have a metal rod in my leg!" I defend.

He pulls over a small metal detector and starts going over my whole body. When the thing reaches my broken leg it starts going insane.

"He really does have a metal leg," Mimi chimes in, "The bone broke in half a week ago and they put a rod in there to mend it."

"Yeah, see. Happy? Douche," I say, grabbing my crutches off the conveyor belt, along with my shoe and belt.

The walk to the area where Mimi's private jet waits is agonizing. She walks slowly to keep up with me, but it just irritates me more.

"I told you they'd let you use a wheelchair..." Mimi says, for the third time.

"I'm fine," I say. I don't want to use a damn wheelchair. I'm not completely helpless.

We finally make it to the jet, who knows how long later, and are greeted by the pilot, co-pilot, and some in-flight attendant lady. Mimi begins talking to them (in English I'm assuming since I don't have a clue what they're saying) and I see their faces light up and even turn a faint sheen of pink. Leave it to Mimi to flirt with the pilots.

"Welcome," the pilot says as we climb the stairs to the jet.

As soon as we're on the plane we're handed champagne glasses. I see a tray of fruit, cheese, and crackers awaiting us along with pillows and blankets to make us more comfortable. There are two padded reclining chairs on one side of the cabin, an actual couch on the other, and a huge ottoman. The whole thing is set up like someone's living room. There's even a second story which I guess is where the pilots stay. And is that a mini bar in the corner? It's just ridiculous.

I've never been on a plane before, let alone a private jet. This experience has forever ruined me now. I will never be able to take a commercial flight now because it just won't be the same.

"Are you allowed to be drinking with the painkillers you're on?" Mimi asks as we settle into our seats and I start throwing back the champagne.

"Probably not," I reply, finishing the glass and motioning to the attendant for another.

"Does the plane at least make up for the crappy experience at security?"

"Ask me in about an hour after I've had a few more drinks."

"You're grouchy."

"You're perceptive."

"We're supposed to be madly in love, remember? Please don't act like this when we're around my family."

"I'm doing this as a favor to you, remember? I haven't thought of something yet but you will be paying me back for this."

She sighs, "Tai, you're getting a free three-day weekend trip to one of America's greatest cities. You could at least pretend to be excited."

I ignore her, finishing another champagne glass and motioning for another. Two down and a third on the way and we haven't even left the ground yet. This is going to be a long eight hours...

* * *

><p>The plane takes off not long later and soon enough we're soaring through the air at top speed. Everything has started spinning. I'm starting to think that drinking while on painkillers was probably a bad idea. I manage to switch to water but I'm nauseated and on the verge of passing out all at the same time. Our in-flight attendant went upstairs and is chatting it up with the pilots. That's probably for the best.<p>

Mimi has been drinking quite a bit herself. She's probably just doing it so she doesn't have to listen to me complain any more. Or to tolerate me since I'm being an ass.

"So what's the story?" I ask after about an hour of silence.

"Hmm?" Mimi replies. She's been watching a movie on the TV since we took off.

"What's the story about how we met and fell madly in love?"

"What?"

I moan, "Oh come on, Mimi! You're the girl, aren't you supposed to think of this crap? You know your grandmother is going to want to know how we met, when we realized we were madly in love with each other; all the sappy bullcrap. There has to be a back story if we're both going to be lying to your family."

"Oh. I hadn't really thought of that."

I roll my eyes, "Well, think of one now."

"Well, we met at camp when we were eleven. We dated when we were fourteen before I moved to New York. We reconnected last summer while I was in town and we haven't been able to stop thinking about each other since."

"That makes it sound like you were cheating on Michael last summer."

"Good point. Um..."

"Let's just say that right after you and Michael broke up you realized that he wasn't the one you wanted to be with. You broke up because you wanted to give us a shot and it was the right thing after all. You moved back to Japan so we could be together."

"Eh, works for me."

"Good."

"You're good at this lying thing."

"Only when I'm being forced into it. You know I have a guilty conscious. If I knew your family any better I'd probably spill everything within the first hour of talking to them."

"You'll be fine."

"So how does this trip end? Is there going to be a dramatic break up right before we leave? I leave heartbroken and you have to come back with me to fight for our love because you know no one else in the world will ever make you as happy?"

She laughs, "There will be no break up."

"Can we at least have sex on the hors d'oeuvres table? That alone will give them something to remember me by."

"Sex on the table... What? Are you drunk?"

"I wouldn't put it past myself."

She laughs again, "You're insane."

We sit there silent for a minute and just as she starts to get back into the movie, I drop another crazy suggestion.

"You wanna join the mile high club?"

"Tai!"

"Oh, come on. You know you want to."

"Just stop talking."

"You know you wanna. Or wait. Have you already joined? You have, haven't you? Eh, oh well. We're trapped on this plane together for another five hours. We might as well make the best of it."

"You're suggesting we go against everything we said we weren't going to do any more just to pass the time? I'm gonna have to pass."

"You'll change your mind. I know you still want this."

I start grinding against the plane chair to give her a visual. Okay, booze and pills were definitely a bad idea. Now I'm talking crazy and all I want to do is have sex with Mimi in the bathroom because I can't think straight and honestly, it just sounds fun. Broken leg or not, I'd still rock her world.

"We are not having sex," Mimi finally says, after thinking about it for a minute.

"You're the worst girlfriend ever. No wonder people hate getting married. If this is what I have to look forward to in ten years then you can forget it," I reply.

"We're not really dating, moron."

"No shit because if we were you would be over here right now and we'd be doing it; hard. Right here on the floor. Loud enough to make the pilots uncomfortable."

She shakes her head in disbelief, "Do you hear the words that are coming out of your mouth right now?"

"Duh, I'm the one saying them."

She rolls her eyes, "End of conversation. Go to sleep or something. You're getting annoying."

"I'll only be dreaming of you..."

"You're ridiculous."

I _love _pissing her off. Especially right now because I want revenge for her suckering me into this stupid trip. I'm going to be uncomfortable the entire weekend so why not make her feel the same right now?

I stand up from my chair and she starts telling me to sit back down. I ignore her attempts and stumble over to where she is.

"Tai, stop it!" She says as I hover her and put both my hands on the back of the chair where she's sitting so she is forced to look at me.

"Just sex," I say.

"What?"

"I changed my mind. Just sex."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We said that we shouldn't hook up any more because it wasn't appropriate with our current emotional status. I'm proposing we say screw it to all the emotional bullshit and just have sex."

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"I'm proposing friends with benefits. The offer is on the table."

"We are not doing that, Tai."

"Offer is over in five... four..."

"Tai! This is ridiculous! Are you even hearing yourself?"

"Three... two... on-"

"Wait. Wait! We already tried that, remember? It didn't work _because of_ our emotions getting in the way. Why would now be any different?"

"We're friends, right? We both have physical needs... correct?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"You know what I like and I know what you like. My favorite is the reverse cowboy thing, but you already knew that. You're really good at it too. It's not like it would be weird or anything; we've already done it before."

"We have only done it, like, four times since I've been back. That's not including the first time when we were fourteen. I wouldn't exactly call us pros at it or anything."

"You have to admit it's a good idea. We can do it, have no emotional attachment whatsoever, and go about our day like it never happened."

"Tai-"

"Offer expires in three... two... one-"

"Fine!"

Wait. What?

"Fine?" I reply.

"Fine. Let's do it."

She turns the tables and pushes me to the ground, pinning me against the floor with her body. I think we managed to knock over a lamp or something because I hear glass break. I am instantly flooded by memories of that night on my kitchen floor; right before Hikari and Miyako walked in.

I wasn't actually being serious about the friends with benefits thing. I was just trying to make her uncomfortable as payback! How the hell did it turn into this?

"Come on, Tai. Man up," she says and pulls off her shirt.

I'm pinned underneath her, staring straight up at her half naked body. She looks so good... it makes trying to stop this really, really difficult. I decide to just go with it. Two can play at this game. We'll see how far this gets before she backs out.

I manage to flip us so that I'm on top of her now. I lean in and our lips meet in a passionate, hungry kiss. She runs her hands underneath my shirt and begins digging her fingernails into my bare skin as I nibble on her neck. She moans, catching me off guard for a minute. It's long enough for her to take control again. What is it with Mimi always wanting to be on top? It's like she wants to be the dominant one. I hate to admit that I kind of like it.

She presses her lips against mine again and goes for the button on my pants. I'm still not going to back down. If one of us is going to back out it's going to be her.

"Someone's excited to see me," she says with an animalistic smile once she pulls my pants down.

Okay, this is getting a little out of hand. She wearing a skirt. All she has to do now is hop on and that will be the end of it; I wouldn't even bother stopping at that point. I don't think she's going to back down. Now I'm freaking out. This can't happen!

She straddles me, hikes up her skirt, starts moving forward...

"Okay, stop!" I shout, covering my face.

"I'm sorry... did you say stop?" She asks.

"Yes, stop!"

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't being serious about being friends with benefits! I just wanted to make you uncomfortable."

She sits there, her face showing no emotion. She then smiles and starts laughing uncontrollably.

"I knew it!" She says, crawling off of me and putting her shirt back on, "I can't believe it took you that long to say something!"

"Wait. _You knew?_" I ask in shock, pulling my pants back up.

"Of course I knew! You would never suggest a relationship based solely on sex. It's not who you are at all."

"Wait a minute. If you knew, why the hell were you about to hop on like this was a frickin' rodeo?"

"What can I say? You had me in the mood for a minute. I have my needs, Tai. Even you can't deny that that's true. That, and I wanted to see how long it would take you to crack. You're a terrible liar, by the way. Maybe it _was_ a bad idea bringing you as my pretend boyfriend."

I'm shaking my head. Mimi was really planning to go through with it if I didn't speak up and stop her at the last minute. I suddenly feel cheap and used. So much for that plan. It backfired in my face.

* * *

><p>I do end up falling asleep at some point. Once the initial shock of Mimi trying to seduce me wore off, I realized how intoxicated I really was. Well, maybe not so much drunk, but totally drugged up between the painkillers and booze. Once I cuddled up under a blanket and closed my eyes, that was the end of it.<p>

I'm awoken, by Mimi shaking me, and stare at her startled. My first initial thought is that the plane is on fire. I've seen those movies; I know that happens.

"What? Should I hide? What's going on?" I ask desperately.

"Hide? What? No, we're landing you have to put a seat belt on," she replies, sitting down next to me.

"Landing? Already? That was fast."

"Tai, you've been asleep for four hours."

"Oh. Well, good. What time is it?"

"I'm not exactly sure but it's really late in New York time."

"It's dark out. Wait, it was day time when we left."

"There's a thirteen hour time difference between Japan and New York. Technically we left early on Friday morning in Japan but now it's late Thursday night in New York."

"Okay, too much to think about. Next subject."

"My parents are probably asleep already. We will have a limo waiting for us at the airport that will take us to my house. They knew I'd be coming in late so we'll just see them in the morning."

"My sleep schedule is going to be all kinds of messed up this weekend isn't it?"

"Technically yes because it's the middle of the afternoon in Japan but it's bed time here."

"Great. Bring on the no sleep weekend."

"You get used to it."

"I don't plan to."

I sit up and move to a chair with a seatbelt. Mimi takes the seat next to me and does the same as the plane makes it's descent to the ground. I'm still half-asleep and not really sure what's happening. If nothing else I'm just ready to find a nice bed to crawl into and get some sleep.

We land -safely- and soon enough the door opens up and a man dressed in a suit is ushering us off the plane. I see a limo waiting for us and get excited. I've never been in a limo before. This five-star treatment thing is going to spoil me for life.

"New York is so... bright," I comment as we make ourselves comfortable in the limo.

"Welcome to a city that never sleeps," Mimi says with a warm smile.

I watch her as she takes everything in. I can tell she misses it here. She'd be lying if she said she didn't. After all, she did spend majority of her teenage years growing up here. It probably feels a lot more like home than Japan.

On a side note, that kind of makes me sad. Sad in the fact that Mimi might change her mind and decide she doesn't want to live in Japan after all. There's nothing holding her to Japan. All of her family and a lot of her friends live here in New York. What does Japan have to offer her that New York doesn't? A handful of old friends that she may or may not keep in contact with for the rest of her life? This is the place where she made all of her memories. It may sound spiteful on my part for saying this, but maybe she was just coming home every summer as a favor to us. Almost as if to prove that she could keep the balance between long-distant friendships alive.

"You miss it, don't you?" I say without thinking.

Mimi turns to me a little confused, "Miss what?"

"New York. I can see on your face how much you miss being here."

"Oh. Well, of course I miss it. I spent the last five years of my life living here. Not to mention all of my family is here."

"So why don't you want to live here?"

She shakes her head, "It's complicated."

She doesn't say anything else and I decide not to push it. She obviously doesn't want to talk about it so I'm not going to force it out of her. Mimi's business is Mimi's business.

* * *

><p>The limo ride is a long one. It's drawn out and almost entirely silent except for Mimi and the driver talking to each other in a language I don't understand. I just kind of stare out the window at everything going by. Building after building after building.<p>

New York is huge. I've never left Japan before so seeing a city so big is really overwhelming. Mimi is in awe of everything. That's not very surprising though.

The car pulls up to a long driveway guarded by wrought-iron gates. Someone over a speaker communicates with our driver and the gates slowly open. He pushes the car forward down the driveway until we reach a turn around in front of a gigantic house. Okay, house is an understatement. It's a freaking mansion. In Japan, we call homes this big castles.

"Home sweet home," Mimi mumbles as the car stops and she lets herself out.

"This is where your parents live?" I ask, wide-eyed and in awe.

"Welcome to Casa de Tachikawa."

"This is incredible."

"If you say so."

The driver gets our luggage out of the car just as we're greeted by a rather large woman dressed in all black. She and Mimi exchange greetings and then she helps haul our luggage into the house. Mimi takes a deep breath and leads me up the stairs to the front door.

"So, where are your parents? I was expecting some huge arrival party," I say after realizing the house is virtually empty of inhabitants.

"That's actually a good question," Mimi says and then turns to the woman carrying our bags. She starts talking to her and the only words I pick up on are "Mom" and "Dad". This language barrier thing is kind of starting to suck. At least at the party on Saturday I can talk to everyone and they'll understand me.

While Mimi talks to her housekeeper, I decide to hobble around and check the place out. The front doors open up to a large entrance hall with curved stairs leading you up both sides of the wall. I walk down the hallway into what I assume would be their living room. There are multiple couches, a huge flat screen TV mounted on the wall, and even a grand piano in the corner near the windows. I spot the kitchen and crutch my way to the fridge.

I open the fridge, excited for the possibilities that await me, only to be disappointed in the end.

"My parents are never home," Mimi says, appearing in the doorway, "There's probably not much in there."

"Actually, it looks pretty much identical to your fridge back in Japan. Healthy crap everywhere."

Mimi laughs, "Sorry, Sweetie. We can order out if you're that hungry, although I don't think many places deliver at this time of night."

"No. Don't worry about it. I'll survive until morning. What time is it exactly?"

"It's a little after one in the morning."

"Oh. Super late then. So where are your parents?"

I see her slowly role her eyes -almost as if in expected annoyance- before responding, "Already at my Nana's. God forbid they actually stay home long enough to greet their only daughter that they haven't seen in a month."

Her tone has turned cold and bitter and suddenly everything makes sense. Mimi didn't bring me on this trip because she wanted everyone to think she had some amazing boyfriend. She brought me because she didn't want to be alone.

Mimi has always been an only child. Her dad travels a lot for work and her mother is constantly busy trying to make everyone else happy. Now that Mimi is grown and old enough to take care of herself, it's almost as if her parents don't feel the need to be around any more. No wonder why she wanted to move back to Japan. Who would want to spend their time in a big, empty house like this? That must be terrible.

I can't even imagine what it would be like not having anyone around. I know I complain a lot about my family having ridiculous social lives, but they're always there when I need someone and come dinner time, we always eat as a family. Hikari isn't just my sister, she's one of my best friends. She's the person I go to when I need advice. She's the one that I tell all of my secrets to and I can't picture it being any different. Mimi has never had that with anyone.

I suddenly have a whole new respect for Mimi. She's a strong person and insanely independent, even if it's not by personal choice. It's a wonder she didn't try getting pregnant on purpose just as a scream for attention. Okay, maybe I shouldn't say that. Mimi's not _that_ desperate. I think.

"We should probably get some sleep," Mimi finally says, "Unless you want to be falling asleep during the middle of the day tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure," I reply.

"There's a guest room right down the hall. No one ever uses it so everything you need should be in there."

"Where are you staying?"

"My bedroom is upstairs. Well, granted it's still my bedroom and they haven't turned it into a workout room or something."

"Mind if I stay with you tonight? Nothing sexual or anything," I say quickly as she starts to open her mouth in protest, "Just two friends, casually sleeping in the same room together. After all, I wouldn't want to wake up in the middle of the night and get lost trying to find the bathroom or something. Plus, I'm scared of the dark."

"You? You're scared of the dark?"

"Sure am. At least if I'm with you I know I'll be safe."

She shakes her head and smiles, "Come on."

Mimi leads me toward the stairs and quickly apologizes for the elevator not currently working. I feel like I should be surprised that this house even has an elevator... but after everything I've seen, I'm kind of not. She ends up walking behind me; supporting me as I attempt to climb the stairs with a broken leg and crutches. It turns out to be kind of comical and we have to stop a couple of times because we're laughing so hard.

After ten minutes of me struggling, and Mimi pushing me so I don't fall, we finally make it to the top level of the house. Mimi's room is down a long hallway at the very end. The room is large, but nothing overwhelming like the rest of the house. I mean, granted I could probably fit my entire apartment in here, but still.

The room screams Mimi. Everything is pink and girly. What she didn't end up taking with her to Japan still remains here; tacked on the walls or thrown in the corners. It doesn't look like her parents have touched it since she left; much to her relief. I walk over to a cork-board hanging on the wall near her bathroom. It's full of pictures and love notes from admirers, quotes, and other accessories. I don't recognize anyone in the pictures; well, except her ex. She looks happy in the pictures, making me wonder why she chose to leave them here.

"It's a funny thing when you break up with someone," Mimi says coming up behind me, "People tend to take sides."

"But they're your friends, right?" I ask.

She shrugs, "Not really any more. When Michael and I were together I became friends with his friends and my own friends kind of got pushed aside. If we ever hung out with anyone, it was with them. Well, needless to say, when we broke up, they all treated me like I didn't exist. I guess that's what happens though. I let him control my life and I had to pay for it in the end."

"Those people were never your friends in the first place if they didn't give you a second glance once Douchebag was out of the picture."

I see the corners of her lips curl up in a smile at my reference to Michael as Douchebag. I'm just glad she doesn't defend him.

"So, you want to take a couple of Ambien and have crazy, wild sex while trying to fight off the sleep?" I ask to ease the awkward tension.

She laughs, "I thought you said nothing sexual?"

"I did. I'm kidding. Well, about the sex part. The Ambien not so much. On top of the painkillers they gave me those to help me sleep. I think right now would be perfect considering it's the middle of the night and I'm wired. You can have one too if you want."

"It probably wouldn't hurt. Where are they?"

"In my bag. I'll get them."

I get the sleeping pills and take one, then pass one to her. I consider getting something decent to sleep in but I tend to sleep in nothing but my boxers so Mimi is just going to have to deal. I take off my shirt and pants and hobble over to the bed.

"Are you serious right now?" Mimi says upon seeing me.

"What?"

"Have you always had that six pack? It's like your entire body is photo-shopped!"

I smirk, "You're just now noticing this?"

"Well, yeah. I wasn't exactly focused on all that when we were... you know."

"Well, take it in, my love. There will be no touching tonight."

"Could you at least put some pants on?"

"Now what would be the fun in that?"

I laugh as she rolls her eyes and crawl into the king-sized bed. I sigh in ecstasy as I sink into the sheets. This is officially the most comfortable bed I've ever had the pleasure of lying in. I look over at the other side of the bed and realize that if Mimi and I both keep our distance, there will be no awkward touching of limbs. We could probably fit two more people in this bed with us comfortably.

"Tell your Nana I didn't make it to the party because your bed ate me and I didn't resist," I say.

"It's incredible, right?" Mimi replies.

"I never want to leave."

"I wanted to bring it with me to Japan but shipping a bed to another country is kind of a ridiculous thought."

"Your bed in Japan is nice... but this one is... wow."

"Tell me about it."

"I'm honestly considering staying here until I die."

She just laughs again, "I'm going to change."

"Take your time."

She grabs some clothes out of her bag and disappears into the bathroom. I see a remote sitting on the nightstand and grab it. I click the power button and a projection appears on the far wall. My eyes widen in awe.

"I'm officially never leaving," I yell as the entire wall is filled with TV activity.

I prop myself up on a pillow just as Mimi emerges from the bathroom.

"What is that?" I say.

"What?" She wonders.

"You give me crap for sleeping in my boxers and you're in a tiny shirt and underwear!"

"These are boy-shorts, thank you very much. They are not underwear."

"I can see your ass cheeks!"

"Take it in, my love. There will be no touching tonight."

"You're hilarious."

"I see you discovered the TV."

"TV? You mean projection and most amazing television viewing experience of all-time!"

"My dad put it in against my protests. I didn't even want a TV in here so he took that as go all-out."

"I'm not complaining!"

Mimi crawls onto the other side of the bed and makes herself comfortable amongst the blankets and pillows. I managed to find ESPN so I'm totally engrossed in the recaps while Mimi just lays there silent.

Not even an hour passes and I feel my eyes starting to get heavy. The sleeping pill is kicking in full-force and I don't think I'll be able to stay awake much longer. I find the remote and turn off the projection. I look over and see Mimi with her eyes closed and assume the pill has already taken her over. I turn off the light next to the bed and cuddle down into the sheets.

"Tai...?" I hear Mimi mumble quietly.

"Yeah?" I reply.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Staying with me tonight."

"Yeah, sure. No problem."

"I hate being alone."

I smile, "I'm here for you, babe."

She smiles back, scooting a little closer to me to grab my hand. I lean forward and kiss her lightly on the forehead. I lay back down on my pillow and her fingers lightly lace through mine.

"You're a good friend, Tai," she whispers again.

"I try to be," I reply, "Come here."

She slowly closes the gap between us and I pull her into my arms. She rests her head against my shoulder and we listen to the sounds of each others breathing. I kiss her lightly on the forehead again and before I know it, I'm out for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>I wake up the next morning feeling like I've been run over by a truck. Stupid sleeping pills. I look over and see Mimi turned the other way curled up in a ball under the thick comforter. I glance at the clock; it's still early. I crawl over to Mimi and kiss her on the top of the head with full-force. Her eyes shoot open in alert and she turns to me wide-eyed and panic-stricken.<p>

"What's wrong?" She asks quickly.

"Good morning," I say with a smile.

"Um, morning?"

"What time do we have to be at your grandmother's?"

"Not until this afternoon. Why? What time is it?"

"Just after nine."

"Why are we awake?"

"Good question."

She rolls back over and buries herself under the blanket, "Wake me up around noon."

"I'm hungry."

"So go eat."

"You don't have any food, remember?"

"So order out."

"I don't speak English!"

"Ugh!"

She throws the blankets back and glares at me. I smile stupidly in response.

"You're annoying," she says, "If it weren't for your sleeping pills I wouldn't be this tired."

"Admit it, it was the best sleep you've ever had."

"I guess. Can you please just give me another hour?"

"Fine."

She yawns and pulls the blanket back on top of her. I couldn't fall back asleep right now if I tried. I'm wide awake and ready to start this day.

I roll out of the bed and find some clothes to put on before leaving the room. I hear Mimi lightly snoring and know that she's asleep again. I walk out of the room and make my way down the long hall. There's a kitchen just down those stairs waiting for me to find something worth cooking.

After struggling to get down the stairs, I finally make it to the bottom without falling to my death. I slowly make it into the kitchen and I'm startled to see Mimi's housekeeper -the woman from last night- standing over the stove. She greets me with a warm smile and I cautiously smile back.

"Good morning," she says, much to my shock that I understand her.

"You speak Japanese?" I respond astounded.

"Just a little. I made breakfast."

Her accent is thick and pretty horrible but if she can understand me then that's all that matters. Plus, she made food so I'm not complaining one bit.

"Please, sit," she says.

"If you insist," I reply making my way to the kitchen table and getting comfortable.

Within minutes there's a plate full of delicious-looking breakfast foods placed in front of me. She pours me a glass of juice and goes to start cleaning. It's pretty awesome getting the five-star treatment. I still can't believe Mimi has housekeepers though.

I don't waste any time digging in to the food and, oh man, it is delicious. I manage to finish the plate in record-breaking time and sit back and take in a deep breath. I feel like I could fall back asleep now that I've eaten so much. Mimi might have to roll me out of the house in a wheel barrel.

I stand up from the table and grab my empty dishes only to get scolded by the housekeeper.

"No, no! I'll get them. It's no problem," she says, shooing me away and taking the dishes from me.

"Are you sure? It's not a big deal, really," I reply.

"It's my job. No worry."

"If you say so. Well, thank you. It was really good. I really do appreciate it."

She smiles in gratitude and I exit the kitchen quickly. Well, as quickly as my crutches will take me.

I make it to the bottom of the stairs only to realize I've run into a problem. Last night it took both Mimi and myself working together to get up the stairs. Now it's just me. How am I supposed to get all the way to the top without falling and breaking my other leg?

I decide to go at an angle. This way if I fall, I'll have the banister to catch onto. I make it about halfway when I hear the front door being unlocked and voices mumbling outside. I'm not sure why but panic is the first thing that strikes my mind. I feel like I should be hiding or something so I use all of my will-power to scurry up the remaining eight or so stairs.

Just as I make it to the top, the front door opens revealing Mimi's parents and a couple of other adults around their age. I have no idea what to say to any of them so I disappear quickly before they see me. I hear them all chatting as I scurry down the hallway to Mimi's room. They sound happy enough so I guess that's a good sign. I thought we were supposed to be meeting them at Nana's house though? What are they all doing here?

I get to Mimi's room and quietly shut the door behind me. She's wrapped up in the blankets sound asleep, not a care in the world. Well, that's about to change.

"Mimi," I say scooting toward the bed. She doesn't respond, "Mimi!" Still nothing.

I roll my eyes and place the crutches against the wall as I crawl into the bed. She doesn't move. That sleeping pill really must have done a wonder on her.

I start poking her to try and get her to wake up but all she does is moan and bury herself deeper in the blankets. Okay, this is getting annoying. No one is a heavier sleeper than me; no one. So this little hundred-ish pound girl shouldn't be this difficult to wake up. Yelling obviously doesn't work. I wonder if whispering sweep nothings will...

I bend down in her ear and whisper lightly, "Good morning, my love."

Her eyes flutter open and she rolls over making our faces only inches away from each other.

"Tai?" She asks quickly. Her cheeks are flushed and her breathing has increased, "What are you-"

"Your parents are home," I say.

"My parents? Are you sure?"

"I think I know what your parents looks like. They brought reinforcements. What should I do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Should I hide or something? Won't they freak out if they see your "boyfriend" sleeping in the same room as you?"

"Tai, I'm an adult. They can't tell me who can sleep in my bed and who can't."

"Your parents are more lenient than mine then."

"It wouldn't be the first time they've walked in on me in bed with someone."

"Wow. Okay, then."

"Tai, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Why are we whispering?"

"Oh. Good question. I panicked when I saw your parents I didn't want them to know I was here."

"Honey, we're at the end of the house. Unless they're standing right outside the door they can't hear us."

"Oh. Good point. Well, I guess we don't have to whisper then."

She laughs, "Guess not."

"So what happens now? Do we wait here until they come find us or what?"

"I guess. It doesn't matter to me."

"Should we be making out or something when they walk in? You know, to make it look more legit."

She just laughs again and shakes her head at my crazy, impulsive comments. There's a light rapping at her bedroom door and I panic again. I'm not entirely sure why, but my first instinct is to kiss Mimi right as her parents emerge in the doorway. Maybe it's a sort of payback for making me lie to them or maybe it's just because she looks cute when she wakes up. Either way, it happened and for whatever reason, things aren't so awkward. If nothing else, it feels natural. I guess it's because this isn't the first time...

"Uh hum," Mimi's father coughs across the room.

We pull apart and Mimi is just staring at me with a stunned look on her face. She's trying to figure out what just happened. Hell, _I'm_ trying to figure out what just happened. She breaks our stare and puts on a smile as she looks toward her parents.

"Mom, Dad!" She says cheerfully.

"Good morning, Mimi," her father says with a disapproving scowl.

"Who's your friend, Mimi?" Her mom wonders, with what appears to be an approving smile.

"Oh, right," Mimi scrambles, "This is Tai. My... boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" They both ask simultaneously.

"I thought you said they knew!" I whisper to Mimi.

She shrugs and laughs nervously, "May have left that part out... Nana is the only one I told."

"We weren't aware you had a new boyfriend," Mimi's mom says.

Mimi laughs nervously again, "What can I say? Love at first sight!"

"Love?" Her dad asks.

"What's not to love?" I hear her mom mumble inappropriately.

I'm kind of wondering if this weekend is going to turn into that scene from the movie "Wedding Crashers". You know, where the mom corners Owen Wilson in the bedroom and makes him touch her boobs? Mimi's mom frightens me. I really wish she'd stop staring at me like that.

"You two get dressed and meet us downstairs so we can talk more," her father says and they both exit the room, almost slamming the door behind him.

Mimi sighs in relief, "Good acting with that kiss right as they walked in! I've never seen my dad more pissed off."

"Is the only reason you brought me here was to piss off your dad?" I ask.

"That's not entirely the reason but it's part of it."

"Are you kidding me right now? Mimi, you're unbelievable."

"I said it wasn't entirely the reason!"

"Great. Just great, Mimi. Now what? We walk down there and pretend nothing's wrong? How am I supposed to keep up this act now knowing that your parents, for one, had no clue I was going to be here, and two, probably think I'm constantly violating their daughter? How awkward is that conversation going to be?"

"They aren't going to say anything, Tai. Look, my dad is an ass about ninety percent of the time. I love nothing more than to piss him off because usually he deserves it. My mom, well, just from the look on her face I can already tell she approves of you. My dad may be harder to convince but he'll come around."

"I don't think us kissing half naked in your bed is exactly the first impression he wanted."

"It's not a big deal, Tai. At least we have clothes on."

"Is this just a cry for attention because you could have brought someone else with you to do that."

"Tai, it is not a cry for attention. I brought you because you're an amazing guy and given that we're stuck here the next two days, you're the only person that won't bore them to tears or make them want to put a hit out on you. I may have brought you for selfish reasons but I also brought you because I wanted your company. Is that so difficult to believe?"

"You could have brought Sora."

"Remember the part where we're supposed to make my Nana believe that I'm one hundred percent over Michael? She would think I'm a lesbian if I had brought Sora."

"You could have told me from the beginning. Something along the lines of: 'Oh, hey Tai, could you possibly come to New York this weekend with me and pretend to be my boyfriend not only to piss off my dad but to show my Nana that I don't love my douchebag ex any more?'."

"Well when you say it like that it sounds bad."

"It sounds bad because it is bad! How are we supposed to pretend that we're in a relationship if I keep getting blind-sided like that? I thought your parents knew I was coming with you. What role am I supposed to be playing here? Am I supposed to be the loser boyfriend that is always trying to get you to have sex with me at inappropriate times? Or how about the douche that will never succeed in life because I do drugs and have never accomplished anything in my life?"

"Just be you."

"How is that going to piss anyone off?"

"It's not supposed to piss anyone off. Any boy in general would piss off my dad. He never liked Michael. Likes him even less now that we're not together."

"Well, he has good reason not to like him."

"He has met you before though, he probably just doesn't remember. He'll learn to love you, I promise."

"How would that work? We pretend to be together this weekend and then when holidays and birthdays come around we alternate visiting our families, still pretending we're together?"

"I'm just thinking about right now, okay? Just go with right now. We'll worry about that other stuff when we come to it. I'm mostly concerned about my Nana right now. She's not going to be around forever. She's ninety for crying out loud. How many years can she possibly have left? We'll figure it out."

"Ugh. This is going to be the worst weekend of my life."

"Just don't hate me, okay? I like spending time with you and if you don't want to talk to me for a while after we leave then that's fine but for right now can you just fake it? Please? For me?"

She looks at me with big, sad puppy dog eyes and I melt. I hate it when women have that power. It's disgusting.

"Fine. But remember, there will be payback for this. I just haven't thought of what yet," I say.

"Thank you," she says with a smile, "You're amazing."

"Worst. Weekend. Ever."

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>Yeah, not too much going on in this chapter. I was going to drag it out through the entire weekend but I'm pushing almost 9,000 words and we're looking at another long, possibly two, more chapters just for this weekend. So I had to break it down. Review!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer - For the record... there are a lot of things mentioned in my story that are either brand name or brand product, whatever. I own none of them. Just the story and it's ideas. Nothing more.  
><strong>

**Author's Note: ** Hello all! How has everyone been? I know, before you say anything I am very much aware it has been over a month since my last update. But in my defense a lot has been going on this past month... for starters, my dad found out he has cancer. This was found out early in December. Within that week, he had surgery. He's recovering well, but still has to do chemo. Also, my grandmother fell ill right after Christmas and is currently in the hospital with pneumonia. Between those two disasters, birthdays, Christmas, New Years, working, and social life, I haven't been able to get on here much to write. I do apologize for the lengthy wait but as you can see I've been a little preoccupied.

On a happier note, this chapter will switch view points toward the middle AND it's going to be pretty lengthy overall. It will go from Tai's POV to Mimi's for a little bit. Mimi's POV will be written in italics so no one gets confused. I'll also pinpoint when it starts and when it ends. Thank you to those who are still following me on this story. I'm hoping to get it finished soon. There's isn't much left so just bare with me. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven <strong>

_"Pushing people away and denying yourself love makes you weak, not strong. Especially when you do it out of fear." -Author Unknown_

* * *

><p>Building. Another building. An even more boring building. Now we're driving over a really long bridge... Trees. Red trees, green trees, orange trees. There's a guy riding a tractor. There's some cows in a field on the other side of the road. I think the cab driver just ran over a cat. Ugh.<p>

I somehow managed to avoid the awkward conversation with Mimi's parents after they walked in on us being not so subtle with the make out session in her bed. I'm not exactly sure how I averted it but I did and that's kind of all I care about at this moment. Mimi, however, wasn't as fortunate.

After we'd showered and gotten ready for the day, she hurried ahead of me downstairs where she was confronted by her parents. Her aunt and uncle -the two that walked in with her parents earlier- quickly excused themselves and made their way outside. That's when the yelling started. What a mess.

I was glad when we finally left. Mimi's dad wouldn't even glance my way when I stumbled by him in the kitchen.

Currently, Mimi and I are sitting in the back of a cab that's driving us outside the city to visit her grandmother.

"When is everyone supposed to be arriving?" I ask, breaking our drawn-out silence.

"There won't be many of us there today. Basically it's just going to be you, me, my parents, my dad's sister and her husband and their two kids. Everyone else will be there tomorrow," Mimi responds.

This whole day is just weird. Mimi is ignoring me. I'm not in the mood to talk to her either but still. I have a feeling this weekend is going to awkward.

I must admit, Mimi is a good actress. She plays this whole we're-desperately-in-love-so-leave-us-alone card very well. I heard the words: "I love him!" and "I don't care what you think because it won't change anything!" used more than once in the heated shouting match between her and her father. I just kept my distance. Her dad managed to strike a nerve -whether it was reasonable or not- and Mimi fed off of it in her heated fury.

I sigh as I continued to watch the lack of interesting things go by out the window. I'm not exactly sure how far away Mimi's grandmothers house is but from what I can see, we're not getting there any time soon. She said she lives in the country but this is just ridiculous.

I glance up at the cab driver, who is just nodding his head to the light music playing over the radio. He is an older man of the Middle Eastern persuasion. I don't think he speaks English any better than I do which kind of makes me feel better. In a country full of people I can't understand, I suddenly don't feel like the only outsider.

I think I ended up falling asleep on the drive because when I realize what's going on, the cab has stopped and we are parked outside a massive home in the middle of nowhere. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Mimi's parents have money; it's safe to assume her grandmother would as well. Rumor has it Mimi has a pretty hefty trust fund in her name that hasn't been touched since she was born. I can only imagine how much money its accumulated over the years. If Mimi and I decide to elope in Vegas while we're here at least I'll be rich the rest of my life.

Just kidding.

"Looks like we're the first ones here," Mimi says, exiting the cab.

I follow her in suit and retrieve my crutches from the trunk while she pays the driver. I grab my bags and look around, just admiring everything around me.

The estate is beautiful. The large home sits on endless acres of well-maintained land. There's a wrap-around porch with rocking chairs and other furniture. I can see horse stables in the distance and even an old-fashion red barn. I've never ridden a horse before. I wonder if we're going to get to do that while we're here? Oh wait. I have a broken leg. Scratch that thought.

"Remember, we're madly in love. So feel free to kiss me any time you feel necessary," Mimi says as she hauls her bag out of the trunk.

I laugh nervously, "Yeah. Sure."

"You'll be fine."

She walks over to me and kisses me lightly on the cheek. Her gentle fingers play with the hair in my face for a minute as she gives me a reassuring smile. It's enough to make me feel a little better, but not enough to make this constant nauseated feeling go away. I have to spend the next two days lying to people. I feel like I'm going to throw up.

"Nana!" Mimi calls loudly as she approaches the front of the house. Majority of the windows are open so if she's anywhere within hearing range, she'll be out shortly.

I brace myself as the front door opens, revealing an old woman. She has a smile plastered on her face and arms wide open ready for a hug. Mimi runs to her full-speed and my first initial thought is that she's going to break the Nana. Old people just look so fragile to me. Take my grandmother for example. My parents were forced to spend an extended visit with her recently all because she broke her finger. _Her finger._

Much to my relief, Mimi doesn't break her. Actually, upon further observation, Nana doesn't look all that fragile anyways. She seems strong and poised and in control despite her old age. How old is she again? Ninety? Wow. Talk about a lifetime of achievements.

"Is that him? Is that the boy you're seeing now?" I hear Nana ask as I hobble closer to the porch stairs. Ugh, stairs. Why does everything have to have stairs?

"That's him," Mimi whispers back, a warm smile on her face.

"Very nice. I approve. You two will make beautiful babies."

I all but die from choking as I'm thrown into an awkward coughing fit. Did she just say we'd make beautiful babies together? Mimi and I aren't even technically together let alone talking about making babies. What is with this family?

"Tai, are you okay?" Mimi asks hurrying down the stairs to be by my side.

"I'm, *cough*, fine *cough*," I say as the choking begins to lessen.

"Let me help you up the stairs."

She does, and I manage to make it up there quite easily, despite the steep elevation. I get to the top and I'm greeted by Mimi's Nana, who has a very approving smile on her face. I smile back, except I feel like mine is lop-sided and awkward. I hope she doesn't notice.

"Good teeth too," Nana says.

"Um, thank you?" I reply, not meaning to make it into a question.

"So this is the boy that has stolen the heart of my granddaughter."

I laugh nervously, "Ha, yeah, that's me."

"I can see why she's so smitten with you. You're a very good looking young man. Let me guess: you play soccer?"

I brighten up at the mention of the beautiful game, "How did you figure that?"

"Strong legs, muscular build. Oh, and the soccer ball poking out of your travel bag might have been a giveaway."

I look down and see the soccer ball I brought peeking out of my bag and smile, "You're clever."

"How long have you played?"

"Since I was a kid."

"Tai was the best striker in Odaiba High School history," Mimi throws in.

"Was?" Nana asks. She would catch on that Mimi used past-tense.

"The school year is almost over," Mimi says quickly, "So soccer ended a while ago."

"Oh. Well, that's too bad. Are you planning to play in college?" Nana wonders.

I just shrug, "Probably not. My chances of anything like that are slim-to-none after what happened."

"Oh. What happened?"

Oops. Probably said too much on that.

"After he broke his leg!" Mimi chirps in. I'm glad she's better than me at lying on impulse or this conversation would get really awkward really fast.

"Oh, yeah my leg. I broke it last weekend after playing a recreational game with some friends. College scouts won't even consider someone who can't make summer tryouts," I say.

"That's too bad. So what made you decide to carry a soccer ball around with you even if you can't play?"

I shrug, "I take it with me everywhere, broken leg or not."

She smiles, "Good enough reason for me. Well, no use standing out here talking all day. Come in and I'll show you to your rooms. There's lunch waiting for you on the patio," Nana says turning and leading us into the house.

Though the house is only one story, it's bigger than most homes I've ever seen. The front door opens up to a large living room/kitchen area. There's a dining room set off to the side and what appears to be a work room and other areas that branch off. She leads us down a long hallway and at the very end is a set of stairs. I guess there is a second level I wasn't aware of.

"I was going to give you two the loft, but I wasn't aware Tai had a broken leg. It would probably make more sense to keep you two on the main floor so you can have this room," Nana says opening the last door on the left before the stairs, "I'll let you two get settled."

She walks away and Mimi doesn't waste any time making herself at home. I'm a little confused though. Why is Mimi's Nana allowing us to stay in the same room together? Does this family have any boundaries when it comes to inappropriateness? Guess not.

"Sorry the room is so small. At least the bed is big," Mimi says, unpacking her bathroom supplies and placing them on the counter in the adjoining bathroom.

I look at the "small" room and shake my head. This room is larger than my living room back at home. I don't think Mimi would survive in a regular sized apartment. She probably considers this "roughing it" for the weekend.

"If this is the smallest room, I'd hate to see what the others look like," I say.

"This house has five bedrooms and then the loft. This room is the smallest which is understandable as to why we're in here. Nana is probably putting everyone with kids in the bigger rooms," Mimi replies.

"I'm not complaining. It's fine to me. I must say that I'm kind of surprised she's letting stay in the same room though."

"Why? I'm an adult. I make my own choices. Not to mention she _really _wants a great grandbaby before she dies. I think this is her subtle way of hinting at it."

"That's... really uncomfortable, honestly."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"It's not like we'll actually be sleeping together while we're here. I mean, we'll be sleeping together but not actually... oh, whatever I'm sure you get it."

"Yeah, got it the first time."

"Great."

"Hurry and unpack. I'm starved."

She left me after that. I watched her walk out of the room and contemplated whether I should just hide in their all day versus facing awkward and prolonged conversation with Nana. She seemed like such a nice old lady. I really didn't want to lie straight to her face to make her believe Mimi and I were together when we really aren't. A rock and a hard place. Story of my life.

"You coming, sweetheart?" I hear Mimi call from the hallway.

I guess it's time to suck it up and put my game face on. I just have to keep reminding myself that this charade will only last another forty eight hours. If I can get through this then I can get through anything.

I walk through the hall and into the living room and see that Mimi and Nana have made their way outside to the large porch. I crutch my way through, trying not to break anything in the process, and join them outside. They both greet me with a smile.

On the patio table there's a feast awaiting us. I can see everything from sandwiches and fruit to rice balls and everything in between. My stomach starts screaming at me and I can't wait to dig in.

"Help yourself," Nana says as she stirs what I assume to be tea in a glass cup.

"Thank you!" I reply, helping myself to just about everything on the table.

I look over and see that all Mimi has managed is a bowl of fruit and half a sandwich. It kind of makes me wonder: does she ever eat? In all the time we've been spending together lately I never notice her do anything more than pick at what's on her plate. I mean, she's always been skinny but isn't lack of eating a sign of depression or something? Should I be worried?

"How's Bella?" Mimi asks suddenly.

"Who is Bella?" I reply just as quickly.

She smiles, "Bella is my horse."

"You have a horse?"

"Sure do."

"You never told me that."

"The conversation never came up. So how is she, Nana?"

"She's fine dear. I haven't been leaving the house much, what with my knees bothering me and all, but the stable keeper says she's doing just fine. Go ahead and see her. I won't mind. I know she misses you," Nana says.

Mimi's face lights up and she stands, "Excuse me while I go change."

I panic as she runs into the house leaving me alone with Nana. Now what?

"I didn't know Mimi had a horse."

Ugh. Of course I'd pick the dumbest thing to say. She already knew that, ding dong.

"Oh yes. We have a lot of horses on the property but Bella was a gift to Mimi on her thirteenth birthday, right after they moved to New York. She's a stubborn little thing though. She won't let anyone except Mimi ride her. Others have tried but she just bucks them right off, or throws a fit before they even try. She's a beautiful animal, but so very, very stubborn."

I laugh, "Kind of like Mimi."

Nana laughs too, "Mimi definitely does like to get her way, that's for sure. She gets that from my son; her father. There are some stubborn people in this family. It's probably why I'll live forever. I refuse to give in to this old age."

I just laugh again, not really sure what to follow up with that. Thankfully, Mimi appears again in that moment. She changed from her cute sundress into a pair of skinny jeans, a tank top, and boots that look like something straight out of a Western movie. Did I mention the boots are pink?

"Oh! Almost forgot!" She said rushing back into the house, this time reappearing with a pink cowboy hat on. Why is everything always pink?

I'm suddenly flooded with memories of when we were eleven. Mimi went through a huge cowgirl phase and wore boots and a pink cowboy hat just about everywhere. We all thought it was strange, and she eventually grew out of it, but now she looks... sexy; rugged, even. I like it.

"You ready?" She asks me directly.

"Uhm..." I look toward the horse barn, way in the distance, and then down at my broken leg. Well, if it'll get me away from being left alone with Nana for a while then I guess I'll just suck it up and haul my butt out there. I might die halfway there but that's okay. At least I'll go out peaceful.

"Be right back!" Mimi said, running down the porch steps and disappearing again.

"She's so full of energy," Nana comments.

"You're telling me," I reply, "Where's she going, anyway?"

"To get the Beast, probably."

"The what?"

I end up hearing it before I even see it. The loud revving of an engine and wheels crushing things comes barreling through the yard and parks right next to the porch stairs. I can literally feel my mouth hanging open in awe.

"This is how we like to travel on Nana's ranch," Mimi laughs, hopping off of the thing.

"What is that? It's amazing!" I ask.

Sitting in front of me is "The Beast". If you took a golf cart and a four-wheeler, combined them and jacked it up on steroids, you would end up with this thing. It's painted in camouflage colors and even has a monster face drawn on the front. The word **BEAST** is spray painted across the side. I wonder how fast it can go? I think I'm in love.

Mimi's laughing at the look on my face, "Well, don't just sit there! Let's get going!"

I don't waste any more time. I excuse myself from the table and walk over to the stairs. I end up leaving my crutches behind because let's face it, I won't need them if I'm going to be riding on this thing.

"Do try to keep it on the path until you're out in the field, please," Nana insists, "I like my yard to remain green without tire tracks."

"Will do, Nana," Mimi says and helps me down the stairs and onto the Beast.

Damn this broken leg of mine! I want to drive it so bad!

"You ready? Buckle up, buttercup," She says, "See you later, Nana!"

Mimi turns the key and the Beast roars to life. My eyes widen as she steps on the accelerator and we speed off. It is in this moment that I realize Mimi drives this thing the same way she drives her car... and that kind of scares me.

"Where did you get this thing?" I yell over the roaring engine and wind zipping past us.

"My cousins and I built it two summers ago! It can reach up to sixty miles per hour and can drive through anything, even snow!" She yells back and smiles.

"Mimi, I think I just fell in love with you."

She smirks, "We're already in love, remember?"

I just laugh as she flies across the marked path that Nana mentioned. The horse barn is a lot further away that I first realized. It takes a good couples of minutes before we even reach it. Nana's house looks so tiny in the distance.

As soon as Mimi pulls up, the horses standing near the outer fence take off into the open field. Hell, I'd be scared of this thing too if I didn't know any better.

Mimi shuts the engine off and all is peaceful again.

"I probably should have asked where Bella is," Mimi says and jumps off The Beast.

"What does she look like?" I wonder.

"Well, for starters, she's our only horse with blue eyes."

"Horses can have blue eyes?"

"Guess so. I guess it's a birth defect or something and breeders don't keep them around."

"What color is she?"

"She's brown with a white face and spots and white feet. Her hair is white too. She kind of stands out among most of the other horses that are solid colors."

Mimi starts walking around the barn toward the fence and begins calling her name. I look too, even though I can't move around. Soon enough, the horse she described comes running through the field toward the fence. She stops abruptly and starts neighing. It kind of reminds me of when a dog whines after not seeing their master for a long period of time. It's kind of cute.

"There you are! Come on, sweetheart," Mimi says and opens the gate to let the horse through. She grabs onto her bridle and leads her toward the barn. I just watch in amazement as Mimi handles this magnificent creature with ease.

"You don't mind if I take her out for a minute, do you?" She asks, grabbing a saddle.

"No, not at all. Do what you need to do," I reply.

"Thank you."

I can see how genuinely happy she is to be able to reconnect with this horse. I've heard that horses can sense good in people, perhaps that's why she only let's Mimi handle her. Mimi's a gentle person, most of the time. I can also see that this horse would follow Mimi anywhere.

Mimi gets the horse geared up and climbs on the saddle. Bella walks gracefully out of the barn and stops in front of me.

"I won't be long, I promise," she says and soon enough they're off.

I don't mind being alone. It's so peaceful out here that I can literally just sit here and take in everything around. It also prevents me from having awkward conversation with people I don't know. Take your time, Mimi.

Mimi stays close to where I am, never leaving eye sight. I'm mesmerized by how well she handles Bella. I've never ridden a horse before let alone been in contact with one except at a petting zoo. Horses aren't exactly a common thing on the mean streets of Tokyo. Mimi makes it look so easy.

I'm distracted when someone starts shouting at me from behind. I turn and see a rather attractive girl, probably around my age, walking toward me. She's asking me something, but I have no idea what it is. I guess she's asking me in English but I have no clue. I just stare at her dumbfounded.

She approaches me with a confused look on her face. She starts talking again and I just stare at her. She's giving me this "Well, what are you going to say?" look, making me extremely uncomfortable. I hate this language barrier.

I take a moment to check her out. She's a tiny little thing, built much like Mimi but curvier and larger breasted. She has dark brown hair, sun-kissed skin, and the bluest eyes I think I've ever seen on anyone besides Yamato and Takeru. She's wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts with the pockets hanging out, showing off her toned legs. She, like Mimi, is wearing a pair of cowboy boots and a button down shirt tied up under her breasts leaving her toned stomach exposed and my brain to think inappropriate things. Okay, she's hot, I admit it. Basically picture Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke, but with dark hair, and that's this girl.

My lingering question though is: who is dark-haired beauty?

"Hi?" I say in broken English, hoping she catches on that I don't speak it fluently.

"You must be Tai," she says finally and I actually understand her.

"Uh, yeah. That's me," I reply.

"Sorry. I wasn't aware you don't speak English."

"Well, in all honesty I'm just glad you speak Japanese."

She laughs, "Well, my mom is from there so I grew up bilingual."

"Um, who are you exactly?"

"Oh, sorry! How rude of me. My name is Kayleigh. I'm Mimi's cousin."

"Oh!" I say, pretending like I've heard of her before, even though I haven't. Outside of Mimi's parents and now Nana, I've never met or heard of anyone in her family. I guess she doesn't get along with them very well so she never mentions them.

She laughs again, "You have no clue who I am do you?"

I sigh, "Not a clue. Mimi has never mentioned you before."

"It's okay. I'll forgive you because you're cute."

I feel myself blushing. Wait a minute, I'm supposed to be "in a relationship" with Mimi. I shouldn't be blushing at this cute girls comments. If it were some random girl, sure, maybe, but this is Mimi's cousin we're talking about.

"Where is Mimi, anyway?" Kayleigh wonders, looking around.

"Out riding her horse," I respond.

"Why did she leave you here?"

I lift my leg with the cast and show her. She nods in acknowledgment.

"Broken leg. Got it," she says, "How did you manage that one?"

"I... fell."

"Don't tell me Mimi pushed you down a flight of stairs or something?"

I laugh out loud, "No, nothing like that. I was playing soccer with some friends and it started raining. Well, needless to say the competition got pretty heated toward the end. Someone slid into me and I went down, hard. The bone went straight through the skin."

"Wow. That's awesome. The bone through the skin thing not the fact that you broke your leg."

"I guess. I just wish I had a better story to tell. Maybe I'll start telling people I was on the black diamond course snowboarding when a bear jumped out of the trees and he grabbed onto my snowboard, breaking my leg in the process. Now _that _would be a bad ass story to tell."

I've managed to make her laugh again. She has a really nice laugh, even if it is only the kind you get when girls do it to flirt with you. I don't really mind to be honest.

She moves closer to me and we start talking. We are connecting really well and the conversation is just flowing. I end up forgetting all about Mimi and my focus turned solely to Kayleigh.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mimi*<em> **

_The greatest thing about riding horseback is the feeling of absolute freedom that comes with it. I've had my share of problems recently, what with the whole pregnancy scare and Michael pushing to get back together thing, and then Tai and I casually sleeping together and now pretending we're actually together just to please my grandmother. But up here, on Bella's back, none of that matters. It's just her, me, and the wide open field.  
><em>

_I feel bad for leaving Tai alone but I don't get this chance very often. Bella is the main reason I used to come out here during the beginning of every summer before visiting Japan. I mean, I like seeing my Nana and all, but she can travel, Bella can't. __It's hard being away from her. She's the only thing close to a pet I've ever had. Even then, I don't consider her a pet. She's more like family. _

_I remember the day we were introduced into each others lives. It was my thirteenth birthday and I had just gotten over my whole wishing I was a cowgirl phase. My parents drove me out to Nana's, after much protesting mind you; I would have much rather spent this very big birthday out with friends but they forced me anyways. I remember being bitter the entire drive. I didn't want to go to my grandmother's house. I used to think it was so boring. She lived out in the middle of nowhere, had no neighbors, and I couldn't even bring a friend with me. I just couldn't seem to find an upside to it._

_When we got there, I tried to pretend that I was happy to see Nana, even though I was royally pissed for being dragged here against my will. I love my Nana and I never wanted to hurt her feelings so I sucked it up and played happy face for a while. The whole time I was thinking 'She better have gotten me an amazing birthday gift to make up for this'. Looking back on it now, I realize how selfish I used to be. Everything was about me. I grew up very privileged though and always got what I wanted so it was hard to expect otherwise. _

_I hate that I used to be like that. It's not who I am now and it really makes me wonder how I managed to maintain the friendships that I still have. I would have told me to get lost a long time ago, but my friends stuck through it and I'm grateful everyday for it._

_But anyways... when we got to Nana's she drove me out to the horse stables telling me it was where she'd hidden my birthday present. My first thought was that she'd gotten me a car, as ridiculous a thought as that was. I was only thirteen and couldn't drive for two more years but I was hopeful. Instead, I opened the barn doors to see her - my Bella._

_She was a tiny little thing to begin with. She was small and loud and had a bow wrapped around her neck. She looked scared to death and tried to pull away from just about everyone that came in contact with her._

_The first thing I noticed about Bella were her eyes. Imagine the ice blue color of a Siberian Husky's eyes and stick them on a horse and those were her eyes. It never dawned on me that breeders disliked horses with blue eyes because they were considered a genetic defect and they usually got rid of them as quickly as they could, as to not continue passing on the gene. I didn't care. Those were the most beautiful eyes on any animal I'd ever seen. She was perfect to me.  
><em>

_Everyone around me was talking loudly about how beautiful she was and I could see that it was making her nervous. She didn't know what to think of any of us. She was young so I could only assume she'd been plucked away from her mother recently. She probably felt abandoned and horrified of the experience._

_"Hush!" I remember shouting at everyone so they would stop talking._

_When the barn became quiet, I slowly walked to Bella. I could see her struggling against the rope tying her to the stable door. She wanted to get as far away from us as possible and I didn't blame her at all. _

_"It's okay. I won't hurt you," I whispered, slowly putting my hand out toward her._

_If I've learned one thing about animals it's that you always let them come to you first. If you can stand still and gain their trust, then that's the only way you're ever going to get in. You can't force them. It doesn't work that way._

_She stared at my hand for what seemed like hours. Finally, just after I was about to give up, she nudged my hand with her nose and even licked it after taking a sniff or two. My heart melted and I was instantly in love. I think she sensed that no harm would come to her, not from me at least, and that opened up a trust I can never explain. _

_After that, we were instant best friends. I took every chance I got to come visit my Nana just so I could be with Bella. She was the one constant thing in my life that remained good and I wasn't about to give up on that for anything. To this day, I'm still the only one she will let ride her. She doesn't mind the guy that comes out here and takes care of her and the other horses, but I think that's only because he feeds her. God forbid he let him ride her though._

_I'm rounding back toward the stable when I hear an all-too-familiar laugh catch my attention. I look over and see Kayleigh, my cousin, sitting next to Tai on the Beast. When did she get here?_

_I bring Bella to a slower pace and just watch them for a minute from the distance. They're talking. Okay, that's innocent enough. Tai looks like he's genuinely enjoying having someone to talk to since I dipped out on him. Then they start laughing and I see her hand gently caress his arm. He's not doing anything about it. In fact, he actually looks like he's enjoying that she's touching him.  
><em>

_Something inside of me snaps and my heart starts racing. I can even feel my cheeks turning red in rage. That bitch! Who does she think she is touching Tai like that? I mean, granted Tai and I aren't actually together... but regardless! Does she have to hit on every guy she comes in contact with?  
><em>

_See, here's the thing about Kayleigh. She is, for lack of a better term, a skank. In other words, she gets around... a lot. She is my dad's sisters daughter. She is almost exactly one year younger than me; a soon-to-be senior in high school. She and I attended different schools but hung out sometimes on the weekends. Her family lives in Greenwich, Connecticut in a multi-story, multimillion dollar house. If people think I'm spoiled, they haven't seen anything until they meet her. She's rude, backstabbing, and selfish, which completely blows my mind because her parents are some of the nicest people in the world. _

_Since Kayleighs dad is American, she inherited some of the better physical appearance genes in our family. Her eyes are sky blue, she has curves and a flat stomach, and was blessed with large breasts whereas others in the family, like me, will probably have to pay a plastic surgeon to ever achieve that size. She is tan and skinny and pretty and knows it (You know that song, "Sexy and I Know it" by LMFAO? Well, I'm pretty sure it's her theme song). She's been with more people than I can count on two hands and is a heart breaker in it's finest form. She's never had a boyfriend for more than a month and doesn't believe in long-term commitment. I had the same boyfriend for over three years, only come to find out recently that she made his list of people he was screwing around on me with. How that happened I'll never know. She lives a state away. I honestly don't want to know how it happened.  
><em>

_If you haven't figured it out by now, I don't like her. We're family, but that doesn't mean shit when you're as two-faced as she is. We play pretend around each other but we both don't like one another. And now that she's trying to take Tai away from me just so she can add another person to her list, which is a really low blow. Not that she even cares.  
><em>

_I figure it's probably time to stop this before it goes any further than harmless flirting and arm touching. Tai's will power to say no is pretty much non-existent so if she was really intent on screwing with him, the odds would be in her favor._

_I bring Bella up to the side of the fence near the gate and hop down off of her. I quickly pull of the saddle and reigns and let her be free, even though she is resistant to leave my side. I reach in the side pocket of the saddle and pull out a couple sugar cubes. She graciously takes them and then trots off to do whatever it is horses do when they're out in a field._

_I see her touch him again. She knows I'm standing here, I saw her glance my way, but she doesn't care. It's time to put a stop to this before she jumps on him without caring who sees.  
><em>

* * *

><p>I'm not exactly sure how much time has passed since Kayleigh and I started talking. She's easy to get along with and is super sexy. I don't see any harm in casually flirting with her, seeing as how I'm not <em>technically <em>in a relationship with anyone.

"Your hair is so pretty. How do you get it like that?" Kayleigh asks as she reaches up and begins playing with my hair.

"Oh, you know, I just kind of roll out of bed looking like this," I reply.

"It's very sexy."

She continues playing with it when I see Mimi quickly approach out of the corner of my eye. I didn't even know she was back. As if I'm doing something wrong, I quickly pull away from Kayleigh's touch.

If Mimi noticed she doesn't make any indication of it. Before she even says anything she grabs both sides of my face and forces me into such a passionate kiss, I feel like if Kayleigh weren't sitting right here next to us, we'd be doing it right now on the Beast not giving a crap who sees.

She drags the kiss out probably a little longer than she should have but eventually does pull away. Why do I get the feeling that she did see Kayleigh and I flirting and this is a warning to make Kayleigh back off?

"Hey cuz," Mimi says with a snide grin.

"Mimi," Kayleigh replies just as snide.

I look between them and I'm suddenly very uncomfortable. I make a mental note to ask Mimi what the deal is between her and Kayleigh later. It has become very clear that they do not get along.

* * *

><p>Dinner that night turns out to be really uncomfortable. Mimi's parents arrived shortly after three, along with Kayleigh's parents (Ayame and Jonathan) and their fifteen year old son, Taylor. I was told everyone else would be arriving tomorrow in the early afternoon.<p>

We are all sitting at a long dinner table that sits near two French doors, opening up to the back patio. I sit quietly and pick at my food trying to ignore everyone around me. Mimi is on my right side and Kayleigh just so happened to pick the spot on my left side. Mimi's dad has been shooting me disapproving/you-better-sleep-with-one-eye-open-because-I'm-coming-for-you looks all night. If looks could kill, I would have been dead a long time ago. Ayame and Jon are chatting it up with Nana and Mimi's mom keeps glancing my way and winking every time we make eye contact. Kayleigh's little brother looks just about as thrilled to be here as I feel. He has barely spoken two words since they arrived. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"So Mimi," Kayleigh begins, drowning out the conversation between everyone else, "How long have you and Tai been together?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but not very long," Mimi replies with an attitude.

"So was it love at first sight then? I mean, you two are in love, right?"

"You could say that."

"How did you two meet? I've never heard you mention him before."

"We were eleven and at summer camp."

"Good for you moving on so quickly after just having come out of such a serious relationship."

I think I felt Mimi flinch next to me before I ever saw it happen. Her failed relationship with ex-douchebag was still a sensitive subject. What was Kayleigh's problem bringing it up like that?

"Speaking of relationships," Kayleigh continued, "Gran, I invited a friend to the party tomorrow. I hope that's okay."

"Fine by me, dear," Nana said and then continued her conversation with Ayame.

"New flavor of the week?" Mimi said.

Kayleigh smiled like she was trying to hold back a secret, "Something like that."

"Do we know him?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see won't you?"

"Bring on the next ex-boyfriend."

"He's not a boyfriend. More of just a casual fling."

I feel her hand snake under the table and begin rubbing my thigh. This girl just screams trouble. It's like she's trying to get me in trouble with Mimi to give herself some sick pleasure. I move my leg and feel her hand lift away.

Mimi gives a laugh/bark and rolls her eyes, "Aren't they all? How many is this now? Ten? Twenty?"

"Wouldn't you like the know."

"I don't care, actually."

"I never thought you did."

I feel the need to excuse myself at that moment and make as quick of an exit as I can. I am not planning to stick around and see how long it takes for them to start throwing knives at each other.

I walk down the long hallway to mine and Mimi's room and take a long bathroom break. I'm trying to waste time more than anything.

When I open the door, my heart skips a beat when I see Taylor standing directly in front of me.

"Holy shi-" I say, my heart pounding, "What are you doing?"

"Tell my sister you smoke," he said.

"What?"

"If you tell her you're a smoker, she'll back off. She doesn't go after anyone that smokes. It's her biggest turn off."

"But won't she kind of figure out that I don't if I never excuse myself to take a smoke break?"

"Here."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. He hands a couple of them to me and a spare lighter. So Taylor smokes. Good to know. I wonder how his parents feel about that? Scratch that. I doubt they even know. He is only fifteen after all.

"If nothing else just purposely let her catch you with it lit. She'll leave you alone after that," he says and proceeds to walking out of the room.

I suddenly have a whole new respect for this angst-filled teenage boy that I just met. Maybe I will get along with someone this weekend after all.

* * *

><p>Dinner manages to pass by pretty quickly after that. After our plates are removed, Kayleigh excuses herself from the table to take a phone call. Everyone else places themselves elsewhere as well leaving Mimi and I alone at the table. I use this opportunity to tell her about my "smoking habit".<p>

"That's a really good idea, actually. She won't touch a person who smokes," Mimi comments.

"All I gotta do is have her catch me doing it and she won't bug me any more," I say.

"Go outside right now and light one up. She's out there she'll definitely see it."

"What? You mean now? But I have to mentally prepare for this. I've never smoked before in my life what if I start choking to death? She'll call me out immediately."

"Just don't inhale the smoke. Suck it in but don't do anything with it."

"Why do I get the feeling you've done this before?"

"We all have our secrets. Now go."

I grumble as I lift myself up and crutch my way outside. I see Kayleigh down in the yard, talking to someone on the phone. She's far enough away that she hasn't noticed my presence, but close enough so that I know when she's done.

I decide to pick a spot on the side of the house where no windows are open and no one can see me from inside. If Mimi's dad dislikes me now, he'd probably freak out if he thought I was a smoker. He'd probably pull some "You're corrupting my daughter with your bad habits!" or something crazy like that.

I pull the cigarette out of my pocket and just stare at it for a minute. I've never smoked before. Ever. How am I supposed to pull this off like I know what I'm doing?

I hear her conversation slowly coming to an end and she's about to turn around. I stick the cigarette in my mouth and cup the end of it while lighting it. I've seen Yamato do this a couple times so I guess it looks legit. It works and the cigarette lights. I see her turn around and head back to the porch just as I fake a puff of smoke.

She hops up the stairs and smells me before she sees me. She glances my way and I see a look of absolute disgust wash over her face. It takes everything in me not to start smiling. I blow the nasty smoke out of my mouth and casually glance at her.

"Want one?" I ask lamely.

"You're a smoker?" She replies.

"Three years now."

"You know those will kill you, right?"

I shrug, "So I've been told."

"Your funeral."

She scoffs in disgust and walks into the house. As soon as she's out of sight I throw the nasty thing on the porch and stomp it with my foot. How does Yamato get a kick out of these things? Gross.

Mimi joins me a couple minutes later. She has a smug smile on her face. I guess that means the plan worked. I also notice that she's managed to change her clothes in that short amount of time. She put on a pair of white pajama shorts that say PINK scrolled across the butt (I'm assuming Victoria's Secret on that one? Don't even ask how I know that) and an old black t-shirt that says "Cheerleader 2005" across the front. Also, she switched from bare feet to black Ugg boots. It really bothers me that I know what those are. Good thing I have a sister or that would be some really awkward fashion knowledge.

"I'm glad that's taken care of," she said.

"What's with the bag?" I wonder, noticing she's carrying a large bag full of miscellaneous items under her arm.

"How do you feel about late-night golf cart drives?"

"Won't the Beast wake up half the state?"

She laughs, "The Beast isn't the only golf cart we have, silly. There are quieter ones. Wait here I'll be right back."

She runs down the patio stairs and disappears around the side of the house. I'm not entirely sure what she has planned but anything sounds better than sitting around here waiting for awkward small talk from her family.

I see her pull up in a smaller golf cart moments later. She puts it in park and comes back up the stairs to me.

"Ready?" She asks, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the stairs.

"Is this the part where you kill me and dump my body in some lake on the property?" I ask.

She smirks, "Not quite. It's either come with me or hang out with my parents. Your choice."

"Lead the way!"

She helps me down the stairs and assembles my crutches so that they're snug tight in the back. I look back toward the house and wonder what everyone else is doing.

"Won't they notice we're gone and come looking?" I say.

"Doubtful. Nana's already heading to bed and everyone else is getting close to it. Tomorrow's going to be a big day so they all want to sleep early. Kayleigh will find some way to entertain herself I'm sure and Taylor already disappeared into the office to play on the laptop. We'll be fine. Trust me."

She steps on the gas pedal and we zoom forward. It's dark outside but the moon is shining so brightly that it makes crossing the yard a piece of cake. I'm honestly not sure where Mimi's planning to take me or what she's got in that bag. Should I be scared?

I see the horse barn coming into view and shortly after we're parked next to it. Mimi turns off the golf cart and makes her way to the back to grab my crutches. After handing them to me she opens the barn door slowly and peaks around as if she's making sure no one's there.

"Come on," she says when she sees me hovering by the cart.

"Is there a reason we're planning to hang out in a horse barn? I'm not gonna lie... the smell alone might make me change my mind."

She rolls her eyes and comes forward to grab my arm, "I told you to trust me. Come on."

I sigh and follow her because I figure there's no way of getting out of this. Mimi is so stubborn. When she wants something done her way there's no changing it. You either give in or get punched in the face.

We're walking to the end of the barn and I hear all of the horses making noises from both sides. Just how many horses do they have exactly? They're sounding as if we disturbed their sleep.

We reach the end and Mimi slips a key into a locked door on the right. She opens it and flips on a switch and I'm stunned.

"Welcome to my home away from home," she says with a smile.

At the end of the barn is a fully furnished room complete with couches, a futon, HDTV, small kitchen, and bathroom. I didn't even know barns could have spare rooms like this. What was this room used for? Casual hang out for the stable help?

"Make yourself at home," she says shutting the door behind us.

I walk over to the couch and sit down with a sigh of relief, "What is this place?"

"This is where us grandkids come when we want to have some fun. Thirsty?"

She opens the tote bag she brought with her and reveals two blankets and a bottle of good old Captain Morgan. This girl never ceases to amaze me, that's for sure.

"I figured you and I deserve a little fun after today," she says opening the bottle and taking a swig. I can imagine the feeling of the alcohol coursing down her throat, warming her cheeks up to a soft pink.

"Where did you manage to get that?" I wonder as she hands me the bottle and I take a swig. Again, probably not the greatest idea mixed with pain killers. Oh well.

"Stole it from my parents liquor cabinet. They never pay attention that thing so I put their booze money to good use. It was also the reason I threw the best parties in high school."

"I would imagine so."

I hand her back the bottle as she takes a seat next to me and turns on the TV. She grabs one of the blankets she brought and throws it on us both. I wrap my arm over her shoulders and she leans in, resting her head against mine.

"Sorry about my family," she says, "I know you didn't want to come on this trip but I'm really glad you did. As you can tell, I don't exactly get along with them."

"What's the deal with your cousin, anyway?"

"She's a cold-hearted bitch. There's not much else to it then that."

I decide not to push it. Mimi doesn't sound like she's in the mood to talk about it so I'm not going to make her. I take another swig of the spiced liquor and slowly but surely things begin to get fuzzy.

"I'm glad you're here," she whispers, cuddling closer to me.

"Me too," I reply.

Hours seem to pass and Mimi and I have managed to get a little more than toasted. Somehow, amidst all the drunken conversation and playfulness, we just so happened to build a fort in the middle of the room. How this happened I will never know but I'm not complaining one bit because it's awesome.

We're lying on the floor in opposite directions with our heads are next to each other. She's talking about nonsense but everything is making me laugh. We're really having a nice time enjoying each others company.

"Can we just stay here the entire weekend?" I ask, staring up at the multicolored blankets above us.

I see her smile through my peripheral, "If only."

"Forget everyone else. We'll wish Nana a happy birthday then be on our way, back home. To Japan."

"_Home_. You know, I've only been living back in Japan for not even two months now and it already feels more like home than New York ever did."

"That's because you have people like me who hang out with you and build forts in the middle of pint-sized horse barn apartments."

She laughs for a minute after that, "You're amazing. You know, if the world worked the way it was supposed to, you and I would probably make the perfect couple. Granted that actually happened, ever."

Hmm. Where have I heard that one before?

"Too bad I'm emotionally unavailable and you're emotionally damaged though, right?" I repeat.

"I wouldn't say that exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"To be honest, it's not that I'm not emotionally ready to start dating anyone. It's more... oh, I don't know, fear of rejection? I guess."

"Any guy who rejects you would be an idiot."

She scoffs, "Tell that to my ex."

"You know, he'll get what's coming to him. Forget about him he's an asshole. You should be glad things happened the way they did because if it hadn't, you would have continued going with a relationship that was always going to be a lie. Not to mention, you never would have made the decision to move back to Japan permanently, even though it's what you've always wanted."

"I've never thought of it that way before."

"Well, it's true. He missed out on something great because he was a loser and I'm sure later down the road he'll realize that. You got the better end of the stick, believe me."

She rolls over from her back so that she's propped up on her elbows and we're looking at each other. I smile at her and she smiles back. That's one thing that I love about Mimi, no matter how many times shes been beat down, she still manages to find a positive side in everything.

"Thank you for being so amazing," she says and leans to kiss me lightly on the lips.

Now, you should know by now that nothing between her and me ever ends with just a peck on the lips. I guess we only have ourselves to blame though. When we get alcohol involved, we start talking about real-life issues, and then we end up doing things we both will regret in the morning. At the moment, it seems like Heaven though. I guess we'll just deal with it in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p>I think this was my longest chapter so far. Over 10,000 words. What what! Now, don't start freaking out on me saying "Omg so it's going to end in Michi" or "Dang it! I wanted this to be a TaioraSorato!" Just remember, Mimi and Tai are currently alone, in another country, without the influence of anyone from their social group. Things are gonna happen but that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to end in that favor. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. That is all. Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer - I don't own anything.**

**This is a shorter chapter. Not too terribly much going on but certain feelings will be recognized. Hopefully you'll enjoy it more than I did.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

_"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past as better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be." -Marcel Pagnol_

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><p><em>Knock, knock, knock.<em>

I'm awaken from my heavy sleep and sit up quickly, only to regret it five seconds later. I lay back down and hold my head as everything spins. I slowly open my eyes and see multi-colored blankets strung above my head. Did I build a fort last night?

_Knock, knock, knock._

Where is that knocking coming from? Better question: where am I?

"What happened?" Mimi asks, dazed, as she sits up and blinks until everything is clear.

I look over at Mimi, who is naked and wrapped in a sheet. There are feathers everywhere, even stuck in Mimi's hair, which is tangled and sticking out in random directions. I see the bottle of Captain Morgan -empty, mind you- lying amongst the mess. I also, am naked. Oh. Poop.

"We can't keep getting drunk together. Bad things happen," I say, searching for my clothes that are buried in between pillows and blankets.

"My head hurts so bad," Mimi says, leaning forward and holding her head.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"I can hear you breathing!" A voice shouts from outside the door.

"Go away!" Mimi shouts back.

_Bang, bang, bang._

"I'm going to kill her," Mimi says, clutching the sheet to herself and stumbling toward the door.

She unlocks it and throws it open with force, "What do you want?"

"Answering the door in a sheet. How classy," I hear Kayleigh say from the other side of the door.

"Bite me."

"Oh, and look, Tai's naked too. I hope you two used a condom."

Mimi proceeded to slamming the door in her face at that point.

"Breakfast is on the table, in case you're wondering. Don't make me have to explain why you two skipped out!" Kayleigh shouts. I hear a conniving laugh following as she walks away.

"I hate her," Mimi says, gathering her clothes.

"She's just trying to piss you off," I reply.

"Well, it's working."

"Why is she so out to get you?"

"It's a long story."

Once again, I don't push it. Mimi has made it very clear (once again) that she doesn't want to talk about it. I just wish I knew what it was. It would help me understand why they're so bitter toward each other.

Mimi and I begin gathering our things and pick up the room. We managed to destroy whatever cleanliness the room once held. Between blankets and feathers (which came from a ripped pillow - how that happened I'll never know) it took a pretty good amount of time to get everything organized. She didn't really say anything the entire time.

It's moments like these I wish I could read minds. Mimi's mind works on such a complex level I just never know what she's thinking or how she's feeling. She's upset, I've gathered that much, but there's more to it than that. It's more like she's been betrayed and is dying to tell someone about it but she doesn't want to get into it because it will bring up painful memories.

I fear for her in that way. She never talks about her problems. She keeps them bottled up inside. I'm scared that one day it's all going to come to a head and she's going to just explode. In one instance, it will be nice to watch her get her frustration out, but in another... Mimi turns into a scary monster when she's mad. Let's just hope she doesn't explode on me.

"So, are we just planning to stroll up to the breakfast table like nothing happened?" I ask as we make our way to the golf cart.

"No," Mimi replied.

"So we're not going to breakfast at all then?"

"Can you just trust me? I have this figured out."

"Well, if you'd tell me I wouldn't ask so many questions."

"Just... be quiet."

Mimi is in a mood. I really wish we were home, thousands and thousands of miles away from here. No more awkwardness, no more lying and trying to impress people that I don't want to talk to, no more... tension. I'm ready to get back to my life. I wonder what everyone has been up to since we left? I wish my phone had service out here. I miss my friends. I miss Hikari, as crazy as she makes me some times. Heck, I even miss my parents. Can I go home now?

We get settled on the golf cart and Mimi drives us back toward the house. She pulls off the trail and makes a loop toward the front of the house. Everyone is sitting outside at the patio table. It doesn't look like they've started eating yet; they're mostly just conversing. I wonder if breakfast is like lunch yesterday: just a kind of help yourself come and go thing. I also notice there are men in the process of setting up a massive white tent; probably for the party tonight. I guess when someone in this family reaches a certain age it's kind of a big deal.

Mimi pulls up to the front steps of the house and drops me off. She then takes off toward the garage to park the golf cart. I wait for her, in fear I might fall trying to get up the stairs on my own. Instead of Mimi, I look up to see Kayleigh standing there. Great.

"Good morning," she says cheery.

"Hi," I reply, less chipper.

"Need some help?"

"No, I think I've got it."

She stands there staring at me for a minute. I'm not moving, obviously.

"Let me help you," Kayleigh says bouncing down the stairs to my side.

"It's fine, really."

"Nonsense."

She latches onto my arm, giving me no other choice. She literally starts dragging me up the stairs. At least when Mimi helps me she's patient with me. She never rushes me or tries to push me to get somewhere. Does Kayleigh not understand what a broken leg is?

"Leave him alone, Kay," Taylor, Kayleigh's little brother, says appearing at the front door.

"I'm helping him. Back off, Taylor," Kayleigh spits back.

"He doesn't want your help. Look at his face. You're freaking him out."

"I am not freaking him out! Just leave us alone!"

For whatever reason she let's go of my arm and I lose what little balance I had left. I end up stumbling backwards and fall -hard- on the concrete below the steps. I didn't hit my broken leg, which is a relief. Most of the fall was caught through my hands, which I'm pretty convinced are scraped and bleeding now.

"Ow..." I moan, rolling over on my back and watching the sky spin.

"Look what you made me do!" Kayleigh started shouting as she and Taylor both rushed to my side.

"Don't! Don't touch me," I say as their hands reach out.

"What did you do?" I hear Mimi shriek.

"It was an accident! I didn't do it on purpose," Kayleigh defends.

"Oh, right. Because nothing is _ever_ your fault," Mimi says, falling to her knees and grabbing my hand, "Tai? Are you okay?"

"I'll survive," I say.

"Your hands are all scraped up. Taylor, can you go find the first aid kit?"

He nods and rushes into the house.

"What can I do?" Kayleigh wonders.

"Nothing. Just go away. I think you've helped enough," Mimi says.

"But-"

"Just go!"

I see Kayleigh flinch and she actually listens to Mimi and takes off. Okay, so maybe Mimi was being a little harsh... but Kayleigh is kind of the reason I'm lying on the concrete right now. So much for the let's-pretend-I'm-a-smoker-so-Kayleigh-backs-off thing. That plan obviously didn't last long. Or maybe she is still repulsed by me, she's just doing it now to piss off Mimi.

"Can you sit up?" Mimi wonders.

"Yeah," I reply and she slowly helps me up, "Ouch."

I look at my hands and sure enough they're cut and bleeding. It's not that bad but it's enough to leave a couple of scabs later on.

Taylor arrives again moments later with a first aid kit in hand. He also managed to scrape up a cup of hot water and some towels.

"Here," he hands Mimi the supplies, "Do you need anything else?"

"No. I think I can take it from here. Thank you," Mimi says with a smile.

He nods and leaves us alone. Mimi gets right to work cleaning and bandaging my hands. She's so gentle and careful that I barely feel anything.

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you're going to make an excellent mother one day," I say.

She laughs, "What makes you say that?"

"This kind of thing comes so naturally to you."

"I'm just bandaging your hands, Tai. It's not rocket science."

She finishes bandaging my hands and helps me up off the ground. After some patience and time, she gets me up the stairs and I'm good to go.

The interior of the house is virtually empty. I poke around the corner and see everyone sitting outside. I don't know what's worse: making a late entrance or them knowing that we didn't sleep in the house last night. With my luck, Kayleigh probably already informed them of our drunken escapades in the horse barn.

Only one more night of this. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

* * *

><p>By the time I'm finished making myself presentable, most everyone has finished eating and have moved on to other things. Nana is reading a newspaper on the porch, Kayleigh's mom and Mimi's mom are doing dishes and the men are nowhere to be seen. I make my way to the breakfast table glad I avoided any confrontations.<p>

"Good morning," I tell Nana with a smile.

She looks up from the paper and smiles back, "Good morning, dear. Sleep well?

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very good."

She goes back to reading the paper and I help myself to the food. I don't bother staying outside though. Let's face it, Nana looks comfortable by herself and I don't want to interrupt that by making her feel obligated to talk to me.

I walk back inside toward the living room and see Taylor perched in front of the TV with an xbox controller. I fall into the couch next to Mimi and begin devouring my food.

"I'm going to see if my mom and aunt need any help. Will you be okay in here?" Mimi asks.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Do what you need to do," I reply.

"I won't be long."

She walks away leaving Taylor and I alone.

"I want in next game," I managed between bites of food.

"Could be a minute. I'm pretty good at this," he responded.

"I can wait."

Just as I dig back into my breakfast, a sniper from the opposing team takes out Taylor's character and ends the round. Taylor's head falls forward and he grunts in frustration. He slowly turns in my direction and I just shrug.

"You lost. Fair and square," I say and he reluctantly hands over the controller.

I back track through the pregame options and pick my character attributes accordingly. I don't want to brag or anything, but all those weeks of being grounded have made me a top gamer. Taylor stands up from the floor and joins me on the couch.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" He asks, disapproving of some of my choices.

"I got this. Trust me," I reply, "Game on, bitches."

I'm not sure how much time passes between Taylor and I taking turns on the game, but we've managed to gain some admirer's. I'm not sure who any of these kids are, but there's a lot of them and they're all under the age of twelve. My assumption is cousins.

"Watch out, Tai! There's a guy on the balcony!" One of them shouts.

I turn my attention to the guy on the balcony and quickly shoot him down before moving on to the next target.

"Good eye, bud!" I say and we high five.

I see Mimi enter the room from the corner of my eye. The kids are gasping and holding their breath as Taylor and I take out enemy targets one by one. We switched to team play shortly after my first round ended.

"Kids, it's lunch time," Mimi says but no one even flinches.

"That shot was epic!" One of the kids shouts and everyone cheers.

"Um, hello?" Mimi says again, "Lunch time!"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll be there in a minute, babe," I reply, only half paying attention.

That apparently was not what she wanted to hear. Next thing I know, Mimi is fumbling around behind the TV and all of a sudden the screen turns off. The room turns so silent you could hear a pin drop. Well, before everyone started protesting after the initial shock wears off.

"I don't want to hear it! Outside. NOW!" Mimi says and stands her ground as everyone groans and walks outside.

"Alright baby, you made your point. Now, help me up," I say reaching my arms out.

"You have two legs. Help yourself."

I look at Taylor who gives me a 'Oh, burned!' look. He then shrugs and heads outside with the others.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask once we're alone.

"Nothing," she replies, obviously lying.

"Mimi."

"It's nothing, Tai. Stop pushing."

She ends it with that and walks back outside, leaving me stranded on the couch. I sigh, frustrated, and wiggle my way off the couch. I grab my crutches and make my way outside with everyone else. The kids wave me down to come join them. I smile and walk toward them.

Lunch basically goes as follows: I get introduced to everyone that has made an entrance in the last couple of hours. From what I've gathered, Mimi has aunts and uncles from both sides of her family. Between all the families there are ten cousins, including Mimi, Kayleigh, and Taylor. Those three, however, are the oldest of the group. Everyone else ranges from ages three to eleven. I've also managed to gain admirers from some of the younger ones. Especially this one little girl. Every time I talk to her, she blushes. It's kind of cute. Who knew five year old's could get embarrassed?

Everyone is chit chatting when I spot Mimi across the porch. Her eyes lock with mine and she is suddenly the center of my attention. She gives me a small smile but I can still tell something is bothering her. She turns to walk inside the house and I feel the need to follow her.

"Excuse me, everyone," I say, and make a quick exit.

The house is empty; everyone is still outside. It's quiet, which is actually kind of a nice change of pace. I see Mimi turn down the hallway and follow her. She walks into our bedroom. I walk up to the door and see her sitting on the bed, holding her cell phone and looking discouraged.

"Mimi?" I say, entering the room and shutting the door to a crack behind me.

"Oh. Hey, Tai," she replies, completely oblivious that I had been following her.

"Is everything okay?"

Instead of answering, she just sighs.

"You can talk to me, you know," I continue.

"It's stupid," she says.

"Nothing's stupid. What's going on?"

She shakes her head, almost as if she can't believe she's letting herself get so worked up over whatever it is.

"It's Michael," she finally says.

"What about Michael?"

"He texted me."

"Okay? And?"

"He said he misses me and keeps pushing me to try and talk to him. I don't know what to do."

"Mimi, you have got to stop believing everything that comes out of his mouth. You can't keep living your life wondering what would have happened if you two had worked out. He's out of your life for a reason and from what I've seen, it's for the best."

"I know, Tai. Believe me. I know. I have been trying so hard but he just keeps pushing and it's making me confused. I just don't know what to think any more."

"You have got to ignore him. You're never going to let him go completely until you realize that he is no good for you. You're not planning to go back to him... are you?"

She gives me a disgusted look, "Hell no. You really think I'd go back to him after everything he's done to me?"

I shrug, "I don't know. You tell me."

"I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole."

"Good. Just keep telling yourself that."

"I don't think it's really him that I miss. I think it's the wanting to feel like I'm loved by someone as much as I thought he loved me. That's the greatest feeling in the world and I miss it. That, and always having someone to talk to."

"You can talk to me. And lots of people love you, Mimi. I mean, not so much in the 'I'm in love with you' kind of way but you are loved. You just have to remember that."

"It's just really hard..."

Her voice cracks and tears begin falling from her eyes. I freeze. I don't know how to respond to girls when they cry. It makes me really uncomfortable and awkward. I manage to suck it up though because I can clearly see that my friend is hurting. She needs comfort and I'm the only one around the give it to her. If her family knew that she was crying over her stupid ex, they'd probably question our whole "relationship".

I walk over to the bed and sit down next to her. I lift her chin so that we're looking each other in the eyes.

"Listen to me," I say, wiping away her tears, "You are one of the most beautiful people I know; inside and out. You are a wonderful person with so much to give and so much to offer. There's is nothing about that asshole that should be making you cry right now. Crying only means you've been defeated. You haven't been defeated. You will never be defeated. Do you believe me when I tell you that everything will be okay? This will get better, I promise you. It may feel like the end of the world but it's not. You'll pick yourself back up and in the end you'll realize that leaving him was the absolute best decision that you've ever made. I promise you that."

She doesn't say anything, just looks me in the eyes. If I'm reading into this correctly, she's not even thinking about him any more. She's taking in what I've said and trying to process everything. There's a longing in her eyes too; like she wishes that more guys like me existed. For the first time, she's realizing that I'm right.

"I'm sorry," she says, "This is so stupid. You are right. I shouldn't be crying over him."

She takes a deep breath and wipes the tears off her face. She then puts on a smile, be it forced or not, and tries to maintain a more positive attitude.

"Thank you, Tai," she says.

"For what?" I ask.

"For just being you. I seriously could not ask for a better friend than you."

She smiles again and puts her hands on both sides of my face. She stares at me for a minute before slowly leaning in and kissing me on the lips. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a spark when she kissed me. She pulls away, staring into my eyes again and begins playing with my hair, something I've noticed she enjoys.

It's moments like these that really make me question whether or not Mimi and I should be together. She's perfect. A little loud and confused some times, but otherwise truly perfect. Well, in my eyes at least. I've known Mimi for a long time. I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly throughout our friendship. She started out as an immature selfish brat that got her way with everything and has evolved into a beautiful, caring person who just wants to see everyone else happy. The two of us... well, together, it could be magic.

"Mimi, I like you," I blurt out.

"I like you too, Tai," she says.

"No, I mean... ugh. What I mean to say is... I really like you. Probably way more than I should and I was wondering, if it wouldn't be too weird or anything, that maybe we could try to... I don't know, see if maybe this could work out for real. You and me, I mean."

She just stares at me. The smile that once held her lips is now gone. I've managed to render her speechless. Great.

"Tai, I-" she's cut off when someone knocks on the door and enters the room.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Nana says.

"No. You're just fine. What's up?" Mimi asks.

"Could you possibly come out and help guide the party planners a little bit? It's mostly a bunch of younger men and I'm not sure they really know what's going on."

"Of course. I'll be there in a minute."

She smiles and shuts the door back. Mimi turns to me, never answering my question.

"We can talk about this later," she says, standing and leaving without another word.

I feel like I've just made the biggest mistake of my life. She's probably going to reject me; tell me that what we are doing now is as much as it's ever going to be because she's not ready to commit to anything at all. Stupid me. Actually believing that Mimi had feelings for me that were strong enough to go to the next level.

* * *

><p>I spend the rest of the day wallowing in self-pity. I try playing video games with Taylor and the kids to distract me but it's not working. I keep losing my train of thought and end up having to forfeit the controller. Mimi hasn't talked to me since our conversation in the bedroom. I mean, granted she's been helping set up for the party most of the day and I haven't really seen her but still.<p>

I get up off the couch and make my way outside. I sit down at the patio table and put my broken leg up on one of the padded chairs. I watch the people working in the yard, getting the massive tent ready for the party tonight. There are tables set up and the DJ is here putting his equipment together. I also see all of the women in the family running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I see Mimi decorating tables while some of the worker boys, probably around our age, stare at her every time she bends over. It kind of makes me mad so I try to focus on other things. It doesn't help.

Mimi walks out from the tent, after having nothing left to decorate with, and comes back toward the house. She notices me sitting alone and decides to come join me.

"Why are you sitting out here all by yourself?" She wonders.

I shrug, "I needed some quiet."

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine."

She looks at me, knowing I'm lying, and sits in the chair next to me.

"Is this about the conversation we had earlier?" She asks, "Listen, I've been thinking a lot about what you said and to be honest, I don't think we're ready yet."

"We aren't ready or you're not ready?"

"_We_ aren't ready, Tai. You're just saying all this because we're far from home and vulnerable. As soon as we get home and you see Sora you're going to change your mind."

"This has nothing to do with Sora. How I feel about Sora doesn't even matter. She and I will never be anything more than friends. I've come to accept that. I don't know why you haven't."

"Because you're in love with her, Tai! How can I possibly commit to you knowing you have that strong of feelings for someone else? Until you stop having those feelings of being in love with another girl, you and I cannot move forward. Do you understand why I'm so hesitant about this?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Then why are you still pushing it? I don't want to be your distraction from the feelings you have for her. In all honesty, yes I was using you as a distraction from my own life too but the more time we started spending together and the more passionate everything got... the harder it's been for me to tell you no. I want to make you happy and I want this to work... but it's just not the right time."

"I want to be with you, Mimi. Hands down. I don't care about anything else at this point."

"I'm sorry, Tai. I can't."

"Then I'm done. I'm not going to keep playing pretend and lie to your family like we're the happiest couple in the world because we're just not."

I stand from my chair, her still staring at me in disbelief. I've made up my mind. It's all or nothing now. She either wants to be with me or I'm done. No more fooling around, no more lying to people, no more anything. If we still remain friends after this then so be it but I refuse to play this game any more. I've officially managed to let my feelings get the best of me and now its come down to this.

"I'm calling a cab. I'm going home," I say, leaving her alone and walking toward our room to collect my things.

My name is Yagami Taichi, and I'm the biggest idiot in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>For the record, I hate this chapter. I seriously considered deleting the whole thing and just not even finishing this story but I had to get over this hurdle. Hopefully I can find the will to continue from here. Sorry for such a long wait. It's been crazy in my world. Please review!<br>**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer - I don't own anything.**

**Author's Note:  
><strong>Yes. I am very aware that I have no updated this story in over six months. But in my defense a lot has happened in that time. My father lost his battle with cancer and everything leading up to that has been extremely stressful. But, it's a new year and even though things still aren't better, I'll go ahead and post this chapter. Only 2-3 more to go after this and I can finally say I finished a story. Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<br>**

_"You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough." -Mae West_

* * *

><p>I'm not even sure how things came down to this. I managed to get in touch with my parents via Hikari on facebook. Taylor let me borrow his computer and as soon as I got in touch with her my parents booked the next flight home. They were reluctant, but I pushed it without actually telling them what had happened. They eventually gave in. I then called a cab and left without even saying goodbye. Mimi didn't even try to stop me which says a lot. She's not happy with me, I get that, but like I told her, I wasn't going to sit there and pretend that everything was okay when it's just not. She can explain to her parents and family why I left so suddenly. She'll probably make something up to save herself. I mean why wouldn't she? She's not going to admit the fact that we got into a fight because we're not actually together and broke up without actually breaking up, if that makes sense. No. She'll probably tell them I had a family emergency and had to get back to Japan as soon as possible, or something along those lines.<p>

I arrive at the airport about an hour or so later. I thanked the cab driver, paid him for his trouble, and made my way through baggage and security. When I finally made it to my gate, I was informed that my flight had been delayed due to the weather. Of course. Bad storms and heavy rain only add to my already wonderful mood.

I made myself comfortable in the waiting area and pulled out my cell phone. Still no service. The only thing I can really do is play games. It's not much, but it's better than sitting here for two hours staring at people walking by.

The background picture on my phone made me stop what I was doing and just stare. It's a picture of Mimi and me from the night we first slept together. I'm asleep and she's cuddled up next to me taking a picture. She set it as my background and I never got around to changing it. I seriously sat there and considered deleting the damn thing. She'd made it very clear that we will never be anything more than friends. Why hold on to the hope that she'll change her mind?

"Your girlfriend is beautiful," the woman next to me says, tearing me away from my dark thoughts.

I look over and see an old man and woman sitting two seats down from me. They're holding hands and look like the happiest people in the world.

"Sorry to hover," she continues, "I just glanced and couldn't help myself."

"Thank you," I replied, not even bothering to correct her in thinking that Mimi is my girlfriend. Why bother giving her false hope for the younger generation? Her and her husband snuggle close to each other and wait, like me, for our flight back home.

An hour passes, and then two before they finally announce that it's time to board the plane.

I sigh in relief, grabbing my bag and walking toward the line. When it's my turn, the woman behind the counter greets me. I nod, not understanding what she's saying, and she motions for me to continue. I start walking into the tunnel when I hear a lot of commotion behind me. I turn, as does everyone else waiting to board, to see what is going on.

"Tai!"

I hear my name being shouted. I push past some people, recognizing the voice, and looking around for it's owner. I then see Mimi, soaking wet and frantic, rushing toward me. She's being chased by two security guards shouting things I don't understand.

"Tai, wait!" Mimi shouts, dodging being tackled by the security guard again.

"Mimi, what the hell?" I say just before she crashes into me and wraps her arms around my neck.

The security guards catch up to her and both grab her by the arms. She's shouting at them, which I'm assuming is telling them to let her go. She says something and both of their faces turn to horror. They nod and back off, leaving her alone. What the hell is happening?

"Mimi, what are you doing here?" I ask, still confused, and honestly kind of stunned at what the hell is going on.

"I'm so sorry, Tai," she says quickly, wrapping her arms around my neck again.

By now we've managed to attract the attention of everyone in the surrounding area. I can feel my face getting hot. I hate when people stare. Especially when I have no clue what's going on.

Mimi pulls away and looks me in the face. She's soaking wet, her hair is clinging to her face, and her make up is running down her cheeks. She's a hot mess.

"What is going on? Why are you here?" I ask again.

"I couldn't let you leave like that. I felt like if you left on those terms you'd never speak to me again," she explained.

"So, what? You drove an hour and a half out of your way, sneaked past security and faced possible arrest just to tell me that?"

"No. I came to do this."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a kiss so passionate the people around us start "awing". I melt in her arms. Every bad thought I've had about her the entire day has disappeared. She pulls away and smiles at me.

"So what does this mean?" I ask.

"I want to try," Mimi replies, "You and me. I may not be ready and you may not be either but I'm willing to try if you are."

I just stare at her. I can feel my jaw drop before I say, "You're serious."

"Yes. After you left everything just turned to complete chaos. It felt like I was losing the one good thing in my life and I couldn't handle that. I'm scared as hell, but I know now that I want this as much as you do."

I find myself smiling from ear to ear. I lean in and kiss her again. A few people even start clapping. It feels like I'm in some cheesy teenage movie from the eighty's. I hear the woman at the desk saying something but I don't care.

Mimi pulls away, much to my dismay, "They're saying we need to board now."

"We?" I repeat.

She reaches in her pocket and pulls out a ticket, "You didn't think I got in here based on my good looks alone, did you?"

I shake my head and laugh, "You're incredible."

"So I've been told."

"But wait. What about your family? What about Nana and the party?"

"I talked to Nana. I told her everything. How we made up this stupid lie to make her happy and that I was so sorry. She just smiled and kissed my forehead and told me to go. She didn't even hesitate on letting me leave. My parents weren't happy about it but oh well."

"Well now I feel bad. Your Nana was so nice to me and welcoming and I left without so much as a goodbye."

"We can send her a card later. We need to get on the plane before they shut us out."

"Oh, right. So is inappropriate to ask if you still want to join the mile high club?"

Mimi just laughed, "Do you think of anything else? Come on, silly. We'll consider that later."

In my mind that meant game on.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mimi*<em>**

_Okay, so maybe I wasn't being completely, one hundred percent honest with Tai. Yes, I did come to terms with losing him after he left. Yes, I did truly believe that we would never speak again. But that's not the complete story. It didn't just hit me as soon as he walked out the door. There was kind of another reason.  
><em>

_After Tai stormed out, I locked myself in my room and just cried. For the record, I hate crying. When I cry, it's when I'm the most vulnerable. All of my walls come crashing down and I just feel so weak and defeated inside. To be honest, I think I've cried more in the past three months than I have in my entire life. Between the break up with Michael, him trying to get me back and the pregnancy scare along with moving, sleeping with Tai and not knowing how to feel about it, and everything else on top of that, I am just a continuous emotional rollercoaster.  
><em>

_After about twenty minutes the crying stopped. I looked at myself in the mirror and wiped my tear-stained cheeks. My eyelids were red and puffy and my eyes were bloodshot. It would take a while for this face to return to normal so I just sat there cross-legged on the bed; thinking. I figured no one would come looking for me anyways. They were all preoccupied with getting everything ready for the party. Now I had to come up with a reason why Tai left so suddenly.  
><em>

_Just as I was considering laying down on the bed and suffocating myself with a pillow, there was a knock at the front door. My heart raced. Had Tai changed his mind and come back? It was the one thing I was clinging to, even if it was a long shot.  
><em>

_I jumped off the bed and threw the bedroom door open. I raced down the hallway and toward the front door. A smile crept onto my face just as I thrust the front door open.  
><em>

_"Tai-" I stopped short and the smile on my face disappeared. Standing in front of me was not Tai, but Michael. He looked about as shocked to see me as I was to see him.  
><em>

_"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked rudely and probably totally out of line.  
><em>

_"Mimi," he began, "I didn't know you would be here."  
><em>

_"Why are you here?" I demanded.  
><em>

_"She didn't tell me you would be here."  
><em>

_"She?"  
><em>

_Realization dawned on me. He wasn't here for me. He was here to see _Kayleigh_ and she neglected to tell him I was here. That little bitch. She did it on purpose to get a reaction out of us both. It was never truly a family gathering unless there was drama involved.  
><em>

_"You are not welcome here," I finally said, and slammed the door in his face.  
><em>

_He banged on the door, "Mimi, please open up. I need to talk to you!"  
><em>

_"Go away, Michael!" I shouted.  
><em>

_"Come on, Mimi!"  
><em>

_It took everything in my power to not start screaming at the top of my lungs and breaking things. Upset wasn't even the emotion I was feeling any more. Anger was more appropriate. Anger toward Kayleigh, anger toward Michael, but mostly, anger toward myself for letting the one good thing in my life walk right out the door without even trying to stop him.  
><em>

_It was like reality had slapped me in the face and suddenly everything was so clear. I no longer felt anything toward Michael. A lot of my hesitation with moving forward with Tai stemmed from the fact that I believed I was still in love with my ex. Seeing him now, standing just outside the door, made me realize he is nothing more than a piece of scum I wanted to wash away as quickly as possible. The realization was so overwhelming it almost knocked me down. It was as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders and it felt amazing. Is this what it felt like to finally move on?  
><em>

_"Who is at the door?" Kayleigh asked, strolling in from the backyard like she owned the world.  
><em>

_Now, what happened next shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. It had been a long time coming and I'm glad it finally happened.  
><em>

_Kayleigh waltzed right up to me and the palm of my hand smacked so hard across her cheek you probably could have heard it outside. She stood there, completely stunned, and reached up to grab her throbbing cheek. She just stared at me, wide-eyed and jaw dropped.  
><em>

_"You know why," I said, turning on my heel and walking toward my bedroom.  
><em>

_I could feel her eyes watching me the entire walk down the hall. She didn't even bother coming after me. She knew she deserved it. Hell, she'd probably assumed I'd do a lot worse. I was honestly surprised with myself that I didn't do it sooner. Family or not, that girl was pure evil.  
><em>

_Truth be told, I've never hit another girl; my own flesh and blood nonetheless. The only person I've ever hit in my life is Tai, and I don't even know why I did that. I assumed that's how guys get a point across so I just went with it. Even if it did turn a little heated afterwords.  
><em>

_I walked into my room, grabbed my suitcase, and just started shoving everything into it. No organization skills whatsoever. Once everything was inside, I zipped it shut and carried it to the front door. I dropped it next to Kayleigh, who was still in shock by the way, and turned to find Nana.  
><em>

_I was leaving. No force on Earth would be strong enough to keep me in New York any longer. This place was never my home. It was all just an illusion I created for myself to keep from going crazy.  
><em>

_I found Nana sitting on the porch, watching everyone run around and get things together. She looked my way and smiled.  
><em>

_"Nana, I'm going home," I said immediately.  
><em>

_She frowned, "What happened?"  
><em>

_"I've been lying to you, Nana."  
><em>

_I told her everything. I explained how Tai and I were not together and in fact how we were just randomly sleeping together when it was convenient for the both of us. I told her that even though we had lied about being together, I had never felt more like I was in a relationship in my life. Tai made me feel alive. He made me laugh and smile and do silly things I wouldn't do otherwise. He made me forget and made me feel. Isn't that what someone is supposed to do? Make you feel like no one else exists?  
><em>

_Her face remained neutral through the whole thing. When I was finished, she smiled, kissed me on the forehead and told me to go. I didn't hesitate. I hugged her, kissed her cheek and told her I loved her and that I was sorry.  
><em>

_"Take the Civic," she said with a wink.  
><em>

_I rushed to the front door, grabbed my suitcase and gave some parting words to my cousin.  
><em>

_"You and I may come from the same blood, but we are not family," I told her, "Enjoy your booty call."  
><em>

_I opened the front door and pushed Michael out of the way. He was protesting, trying to get me to talk to him but I refused. I jumped down the stairs, pulled the keys out of my pocket and loaded my things into Nana's spare car. I walked to the drivers side and opened the door just as Kayleigh finally regained her ability to speak.  
><em>

_"Where are you going?" She shouted.  
><em>

_"I'm going home," I replied, smiling.  
><em>

_I got in the car and drove away without so much as even looking back. I know they were both standing there completely dumbfounded and utterly confused at the situation. And to tell the truth, I'd never felt so good in my life.  
><em>

_This all leads me to now. I called the airport and demanded they give me the same flight and parallel seat to Tai. Luckily, my father had a lot of pull in this state and I wasn't hassled too much. They informed me we'd both be upgraded to first class since the seat I wanted was unavailable (like I would complain about that). An hour and a half later, I pushed through security, setting off an alarm in the process, hence why the guards were chasing me. I ran until I found the gate Tai would be boarding. Just seeing that goofy, confused look on his face was all the reassurance I needed._

* * *

><p>The plane ride turned out to be... uneventful, to say the least. Eight hours of in-flight movies, two meals, and a lot of sleep later, we finally arrived back in Japan. Oh, and the mile high club didn't gain any new members today. Kind of hard to squeeze two people into a tiny bathroom, especially when one of said people has a broken leg. Oh well. Maybe next time.<p>

My parents had informed me before I made the decision to come home that they wouldn't be able to pick me up. They took Hikari and the three of them went out of town for the weekend. It actually kind of worked in my favor. I wasn't ready to go home just yet. I was planning to squeeze in as much time with Mimi as I could before tomorrow, aka, the final week of school.

"So, your place or mine?" Mimi asked with a yawn. It was late. We left New York around three in the afternoon on Saturday. Add thirteen hours to that and it's currently... holy crap. Four in the freaking morning. On Sunday.

"Definitely yours," I said, realizing just how tired I was. Jet lag would be hitting me hard core later.

"Won't your parents wonder where you are if they come home and you're not there?"

I shrugged, "They won't be home until late afternoon. They're at the beach. Hikari will drag that out as long as possible."

"Okay. I cannot tell you how much I want to sleep in my own bed."

"Well, your bed is nice. But that one in New York... nothing will ever compare to that."

She just smiled, too tired to even attempt a witty comeback, "Let's just get our stuff and catch the train."

Which is exactly what we did. Baggage claim and security were like a walk in the park. It was really late. Or early, I guess, so there weren't a lot of people around. We got on the next train to Odaiba where Mimi almost instantly fell asleep.

I fumbled for my cell phone and turned it on. The magic bars of service lit up the screen and within minutes text message after text message starting popping up. I thumbed through them. Some were general "Hey, how are you?" texts from friends, but others kind of caught my attention. One in particular.

_I miss you._

It was from Sora. She added a heart symbol after it. There was also one from Yamato that really made me worry.

_It's over, dude. I know you probably won't see this until you come home but I couldn't keep it to myself. She's a selfish bitch and I'm done. Oh. Have a fun trip!_

Uh oh. What could possibly have happened between the two of them now? I was only gone for two days!

Mimi shifted next to me, sitting up quickly. She looked around like she'd been snapped out of a bad dream. She looked at me, wide-eyed and a little confused.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Hmm?" She replied, and laid her head back down on my shoulder.

I just shook my head and smiled as she fell back asleep. It was late. I would deal with the Sora-Yamato drama saga later. For now, I just wanted to get into Mimi's bed and fall asleep.

* * *

><p>Mimi and I slept the entire day. As soon as we got back to her condo and laid down on the bed, that was it.<p>

I woke up to the sound of my cell phone vibrating. It was a text message from Hikari stating that they were leaving the beach and would be home around six. She also mentioned they'd be picking up pizza for dinner so that was a win. Seeing as it was only four, I had plenty of time to get home before they realized I had even been missing.

I rolled over in the bed and gently wrapped an arm around Mimi. She moaned and rolled over, facing me.

"Good morning," she whispered with a smile.

"Good afternoon," I laughed.

"What time is it?"

"Four in the afternoon."

"Oh. We slept all day."

"Yeah. I hate to cut it short but I have to get going. My parents are on their way home."

"Oh. Okay. I'll drive you."

"You don't have to. I can call a cab."

"Nonsense. I'm taking you."

"Are you sure?"

"Just get up."

She shoved a pillow in my face and rolled out of bed. I watched her as she stretched and ran fingers through her hair. She is beautiful, even with bedhead. I'm definitely a lucky guy.

She looks over and catches me staring, "If you keep looking at me like that you're never going to leave."

I smirked and fought my way out of the bed. My suitcase was in the living room completely untouched. I didn't even have time to change clothes before we fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The ride to my house was peaceful. Mimi and I didn't talk about much but then again, we didn't need to. She held my hand the whole time and we just enjoyed the ride.<p>

"Are you ready for your last week of school?" Mimi asked, standing in the kitchen of my home.

"Ready for it to be over," I replied.

"Are you still doing that therapy thing?"

"Yeah. I meet with her tomorrow. She's not going to be happy, though."

"Why?"

"Forget it. Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"I want to... but I need to get home and unpack. Plus, your parents probably won't be too thrilled that I'm here after they forked over money to fly you home a day early because of me."

"Good point."

"Call me later, okay?"

"Okay."

She stood on her tip toes and wrapped arms around my neck. She pulled me in for a kiss. I slid my hand under her shirt and up her back as her hands tangled through my hair. I managed to push her up against the counter and she pulled away, laughing.

"Okay, I really need to leave. Your parents will be home soon and this is not the impression I want them to have of me," she said.

"Awe, you're no fun. I liked it better when you were always trying to attack me and didn't care who saw."

She winked, "We were also sneaking around then, remember?"

"We could still sneak around. It'd be fun."

She just laughed, "I'll call you later."

She gave me a quick kiss and left. I walked into my bedroom and threw the suitcase on the bed. I really wasn't in the mood to unpack so I decided against it. I put the suitcase back on the floor and decided to go raid the fridge.

Miko, Hikari's cat, purred and rubbed against my legs as I rummaged through the fridge to find something edible. She wanted me to feed her. Poor thing probably hadn't been fed since I left.

I turn to the cabinet and find the cat food. Opening it, I about gagged. Cat food is disgusting. I plop the chunky mess into her bowl and she goes to town. Just as I'm throwing the can away, the front door opens and my parents and sister emerge.

"Oh, hey!" I say, glancing at the clock, "You're home early."

"No traffic," Dad says with a shrug, looking exhausted.

Hikari walks past me and puts the pizza box on the counter. I don't waste any time grabbing two pieces and heading for the couch. My parents ignore my rude behavior and go into their bedroom, shutting the door behind them. Hikari stands in front of me with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

"What?" I asked, mouth full of pizza.

"We need to talk," she says.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're about to lecture me?"

"Did I seriously just see Mimi driving out of our parking lot as we were pulling in?"

My heart jumps, "Oh. Yeah. About that."

"Taichi!"

"What?"

"She's the reason you made mom and dad fork out a ton of money for you to come home a day early! Why the heck is she here and not in New York with her family?"

"It's a really long story."

"You are seriously unbelievable."

"Don't sit there and judge me. You have no idea what the situation is."

"She's not good for you, Tai. Haven't you realized that yet?"

"How is she not good for me?"

"Listen, I love Mimi to death but that girl is bad news. She's playing with your head. I just don't want to see you fall victim to her, especially if it's not going anywhere."

"How are you so sure she's going to screw me over?"

"Mimi has only ever had one serious boyfriend in her life. Before him she was doing nothing but playing around and breaking hearts."

"She agreed to be exclusive, Hikari."

A look of shock ran across her face. She clearly wasn't expecting that.

"Oh," she said.

"Yep," I replied.

"So she's your girlfriend now?"

"Something like that."

She sighed, "Tai, I'm just trying to look out for you."

"You don't need to protect me, Hikari. It's my job to protect you, not the other way around. Mimi is special. I just don't think she realizes how much sometimes."

"Does she make you happy?"

"Yes."

"Okay. That's all that matters then."

"I agree."

"I'm still upset about this though. The situation could have been resolved without mom and dad forking over a ton of money. Luckily for you, I told them you were home sick and New York made you nervous."

"Wait, what? You told them that?"

"Of course. I'm not going to give them an image of Mimi that would make them hate her. You like her and she's a good friend so I wouldn't do that."

"Has anyone ever told you how awesome you are?"

"I do what I can."

"Thank you. For real."

"You owe me."

The night flew by without incident. I managed to unpack my suitcase in record time, got a load of laundry done, and I even found time to write an entry for Dr. Anderson so she didn't rip my face off the next day. It was mostly just a recap of what had happened to me in the past week. I figured she would ask a lot of questions, considering this was our second to last meeting and all.

* * *

><p>I got to school the next morning, early mind you because it takes me longer to get around with this bum leg of mine, and was surprised to see Yamato waiting next to my locker. He saw me coming and greeted me with a smile and a wave. I nodded my head in his direction to acknowledge him.<p>

"Yo," Yamato said as I approached.

"Hey," I replied coolly.

"How was your trip?"

"Well, it started bad, then got good, then got bad again, and now everything is okay."

"Sounds... interesting. Did you get my texts?"

Gee, he doesn't waste any time getting to his point does he?

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask you about that," I lied, fumbling through my locker, "What happened?"

"I don't even know. It happened Friday night at a party we went to. Everything was fine. We were drinking, having fun, enjoying ourselves... and then all of a sudden it's like something in my brain shut off and I couldn't stand to be anywhere near her. I don't know if it's because I drank too much or it was the fact that she was shamelessly flirting with other guys or what but now I can't stand her."

"How did that even happen? _You're _the one that's been trying to get her back all this time and now you just don't care?"

"Like I said, I don't even know what happened to make me feel this way. Maybe I finally came to the realization that she doesn't really want to be with me any more. All this time it's been me pursuing her, not the other way around. She doesn't go out of her way to talk to me or try and hang out. It's always me making the plans. I think she just goes along with it because she feels bad about how things have happened between us. Maybe she's trying to maintain the friendship or something. Either way, she's lying to me and herself trying to keep us together."

"So you're officially done, then?"

"Yeah. I called her the next morning to let her know that we can't see each other any more. She said she respected my wishes and hopes that I'm happy with whatever decisions I make."

"She wasn't upset or anything?"

It was probably the wrong question to ask because he kind of more or less snapped in that moment.

"No!" He shouted, tangling his hands in his hair in a frustrated manner, "And it's driving me crazy! How can she just blow this off like it's nothing? We were together for four years! How can you just get over someone so quickly without a second thought? I don't understand it, Tai! What did I do to make her so repulsed by me?"

Why does Yamato continue to torture himself? He makes up these false illusions that he's over Sora and wants nothing to do with her but then it all boils down to this: her not wanting him drives him crazy. But if you think about it in the opposite effect, what with her obsessing over him constantly, they'd still be together but they'd be fighting all the time because she'd be clingy and he'd want space. He's basically in a downward spiral of never winning. Poor guy.

"What am I supposed to do?" Yamato asked. He was now sitting on the floor looking absolutely pathetic. People were even starting to stare.

"Yama, get off the floor," I said, closing my locker.

"My life has come to this."

"What? Pathetic?"

He sighed. The warning bell for first period rang and if I didn't book it, I would be late. I looked down and Yamato didn't even flinch. He'd probably sit there all day if he could. It was really sad and this constant drama was starting to get really old.

"You have to get over her, Yama," I said, trying to sound stern, "If she doesn't want to be with you then _you_ need to find a way to accept that. You're going to drive yourself into a hole if you don't stop feeling sorry for yourself."

He scoffed, "Easy for you to say. If she wanted me half as much as she wants you, we'd still be together."

Okay, he was starting to make it personal now.

"She doesn't want me," I said.

"Oh, please!" He said, jumping up off the ground and getting in my face, "You're the reason we can't be together! She feels something for you and until she doesn't, she won't even consider me! What do you have that I don't? Why does she want you so damn much that I just get cast away like an old pair of socks? What is so special about you?"

People walking by were starting to stare, possibly waiting for a repeat of what happened earlier this year. I could've sworn they were even waging bets on which of us would win. Apparently the odds were not in my favor this time.

I grabbed Yamato by the collar and pushed him against the locker. No, I wasn't planning to fight him. I wouldn't get very far with a broken leg, I just wanted to get my point across.

"You listen to me," I said in a low voice, demanding his full attention, "I can't control the way that she feels. Stop blaming everything on me like it's my fault that she doesn't want you any more. I have no idea why she wants to be with me but I will say this: the feeling IS NOT mutual. I don't want Sora. I may have, a long time ago, but not any more. You should know me better than that to think that I'd ever try to pursue anything with her. You're my best friend and I wouldn't do that to you. I find it very unsettling that you're so convinced I would."

"It wouldn't be the first time you pursued her," Yamato said and it brought things to a whole different level. Now I was pissed. It took everything in my power not to hit him. I don't know what my problem was, but I always felt like hitting him solved most of our problems. I should probably see a therapist for that. Oh, wait. I already am.

"I don't want her! I want nothing to do with her that way! She is a mind-controlling drama queen who's just looking for something to keep herself entertained! _You _are my best friend! I would never do anything to hurt _you_! Especially not because of her. She-"

I stopped talking when Yamato's focus was tuned behind me. I got a sickening feeling that the person I was just talking crap about was standing right behind me. I turned slowly and sure enough there she was. Sora. Standing there looking like she'd just lost her best friend. Which, I guess technically after this, we probably wouldn't be any more.

"Sora, I-"

I didn't get very far in my explanation before she charged forward and slapped me hard across the face. She did the same to Yamato and then started screaming at us while everyone watched.

"You two are such pigs!" She pointed at Yamato, "I didn't break up with you because I wanted him. I broke up with you because I don't have feelings for you any more. I wanted to see what else was out there aside from you. I don't love you any more, Yamato. I haven't for a while. And I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear but I can't help the way that I feel. It's not fair to you for me to keep lying to you. And you!" She turned her attention to me and I jumped back against the locker with Yamato. She shook her head as though she was disappointed in me, "Screw you. I want nothing to do with either of you."

She stormed away and the sickening feeling of her hand slapping my face lingered as she disappeared. A teacher came through telling everyone to break it up and get to class before anything else could happen. The halls were soon empty except the two of us.

"You want to go share a cigarette?" Yamato asked.

"I don't smoke," I replied.

"I know. But you should. It helps."

I didn't take Yamato up on his offer of having a cigarette, even though I probably should have. Things had gone from good to bad in the first fifteen minutes I was back at school. Not to mention our little spat in the hallway seemed to be the hot topic of conversation between everyone today.

When the day finally came to an end, I rushed to Dr. Anderson's office so I wouldn't have to deal with anyone else. I guess it should have come as a shock to know that Dr. Anderson already knew what happened earlier in the day... but I'm not surprised at all.

"I don't understand how my social life is such a hot topic amongst school faculty," I stated.

"Student affairs are the one thing that get us through our day," Dr. Anderson said.

"Very funny."

She smirked, "So, besides the obvious, anything new happening since our last meeting?"

I shrugged, "Mimi and I made things official.

"Did you now?"

"Yep. I guess that trip to New York was a blessing in disguise."

"Why the change of mind?"

"It was more like a change of heart."

"So you're happy?"

"Of course I'm happy. This is what I've wanted."

"I know it is."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like how you're looking at me right now. That judgmental you're-not-telling-me-the-whole-truth kind of look."

"Am I looking at you like that?"

"Stop asking so many questions."

"It's part of my job description to ask a lot of questions."

I sighed. This conversation was going in circles.

"I'm happy," I stated.

"And I believe you."

"You don't. But that's okay."

"So, how are things with Sora?"

"Bad," I blurted out probably too quickly.

"Bad how?"

"Bad as in... she's not speaking to me."

"You certainly have had a bad day."

"No kidding."

"What are you planning to do about it?"

"Honestly? Nothing right now. I'm not going to apologize for what I said. Yamato needed to hear what I truly think or else we can never move forward."

"What was said, exactly?"

"I thought you knew everything?"

"I know that there was an altercation between the three of you. I am not, however, aware of what was said to cause said altercation."

"Well, to make a long story short, Yamato can't admit to himself that it drives him crazy that Sora wants nothing to do with him and therefore blames me like it's my fault. To drive my point to him, I kind of had him cornered and more or less said some hateful things about Sora... without knowing she was standing behind me listening."

"Oh dear."

"Yep. Me and my big mouth."

"So that leaves me to assume Yamato and Sora are no longer together."

"Bingo. She said she doesn't love him any more."

"What changed?"

"I don't know. Why couldn't she just stay away from him? Why did she have to give him false hope and make him think that things would be okay?"

"Perhaps she was just trying to keep the balance in your social group while trying to decide whether or not she could make things work."

"It still sounds pretty selfish to me."

"It's bad to judge people."

"Ah, but you see, judging people is what get's the students through _their _day."

I'm not sure if she appreciated my sarcasm, but at least she laughed.

I left the session that day feeling at peace for some odd reason. Sora was mad at me, but what else was new? I was planning to give her space and let her cool down before attempting to apologize for my actions. I think I finally got through to Yamato. He wouldn't leave me alone now. He has a tendency to get clingy when things in his life are spiraling out of control. But even through all of that... all I wanted to do was go see Mimi. _My girlfriend._

I rode the elevator up to the top floor of the apartment complex. I walked down the long hallway with my heart at a quickened pace. Some because I was out of breath from the crutches but mostly because I was excited to wind down my day with Mimi. My girlfriend.

I reached her door and knocked loudly. I heard her approach from the other side. She was on the phone. When she opened the door, there was a huge smile plastered across her face. She motioned for me to come in and continued talking to whoever was on the phone.

"What all do I need to do? ... Okay... Yes, I can... No, it won't be a problem at all... End of August? ... That's perfect!... Yes, yes... Thank you so much... we'll be in touch... okay, thank you again, bye!"

She hung up the phone and squealed so loud I'm surprised the windows in the room didn't shatter. She then proceeded to jumping up and down, all while smiling and laughing and squealing. Apparently I missed something.

"What happened?" I asked.

She stopped jumping and held her hands out in front of her like she was in disbelief, "Tai, I just got offered an internship with a renowned chef in Italy. ITALY! Can you believe that?"

"A cooking internship? Since when are you interesting in cooking?"

She shrugged, "Since sophomore year of high school. I took a lot of classes as an extracurricular that focused on cooking. It's what I want to do. Be a chef. Well, I really want my own show on the Food Network but that will come later. I have to get my foot in the door first."

"You've never mentioned that before."

"Sure I have."

"No. You haven't."

"Oh. Well, aren't you excited for me? I applied for this internship without much thought and now they want me to come work with them! I knew it was a long shot but I've been dreaming about this for a while and they chose me! Out of thousands that applied, I was one of the chosen. Me!"

"When exactly does this internship start?"

"The end of August."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Well, it's a year long program so-"

"You're moving to Italy for a year?"

"Maybe longer. We will see. What's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

"If you move to Italy for a year what's going to happen with us?"

The smile on her face fell and her mouth hung slightly open as she processed my question. She hadn't thought about how this would affect our relationship at all. If she moved to Italy for a year... there probably wouldn't be an "us" any more.

"Tai, you knew when I moved back here that it wasn't going to be permanent," she said slowly.

"So you're saying that our relationship has a time limit. That come August you're just going to dip out and thank me for keeping you entertained over the summer?"

"Why are you being like this? Just because I may or may not move to Europe doesn't mean we can't still be together."

"That's exactly what it means! If you move away and are gone for over a year then our relationship will fall apart. Long distance relationships don't work, Mimi. They never do. It's even worse with people our age."

"I don't understand why you're acting like this is all on me. You're going to college in the fall. It's not like you'll be around either. It'd be the same situation if you left for school and I was stuck here."

"I'm still going to be living in Japan, thank you very much. Not halfway across the world while your boyfriend sits around wondering everyday if it's going to be the last."

"I love that you're so sure that we wouldn't work out. You're trying to guilt trip me and I don't appreciate that. You _knew _I was planning to travel at the end of summer. You knew that so don't act like this is the first time you're hearing about it."

"Yes, Mimi, _travel_ being the operative word. Travel means you go somewhere for a couple weeks then come home to plan your next move. Not stay gone for twelve months at a time."

"I don't want to fight with you on this. Why can't you just be happy for me? This is something I've wanted for a really long time and you just completely ruined it for me."

"How can I be happy about the fact that my girlfriend wants to leave me for a year to go cook in Italy when she could just do it here and get the same effect?"

She didn't say anything after that and I instantly regretted it when the words came out of my mouth. I am officially the biggest asshole on the planet. I'm selfish and hurtful and now the one person I care about more than anything right now hates me. Way to go, big mouth.

"You need to leave," she finally said, walking to the door and opening it.

I didn't say anything. I took the hint and walked out the door. I turned when she spoke again.

"Oh, and for the record, I never said I was taking the internship. I was just considering it. Thank you for making the decision easier for me."

She then proceeded to slamming the door in my face which made me jump. I let out a deep sigh and planned to knock on the door so we could talk and I could apologize, but when I leaned closer to the door and heard her muffled cries on the other side, it tore me apart. She wouldn't want anything to do with me now. Me trying to apologize would just make things worse so I decided to just go home.

"I'm sorry, Mimi," I whispered, putting my hand on the door.

It must be a record. Pissing off your best friend and girlfriend (possibly ex soon) in the same day. What the hell is wrong with me?

* * *

><p>I wandered around for a while after that. I had Yamato come pick me up from the park, which I was surprised I even got to with my broken leg. We drove around for a while, both wallowing in our own self-pity, before deciding to just crash back at his place. His dad wasn't home, which wasn't a surprise, so he ordered take out and we mulled things over on the xbox.<p>

"You want a beer?" Yamato asked, pulling one out of the fridge.

"It's Monday," I replied.

"So?"

"Who drinks on a Monday?"

"People who go to school on Tuesday."

I was going to respond with how it'd be irresponsible to consume alcohol on a school night but it would've just sounded dumb. Instead, I shrugged and gave in to peer pressure.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

He grabbed another beer and joined me on the couch. I popped the cap off the beer and relaxed as the liquid coursed it's way through my dying liver.

"So," Yamato began, "You wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Talk about whatever made you so upset."

"Not really."

"Is it Mimi?"

I turned and looked at him, confused as to how he would know anything was wrong with Mimi considering no one knew we were together.

"Don't give me that look," he continued, "I know all about you and her hooking up."

"How could you possibly know that? No one knows about that except for her and me."

Yamato smirked, "I was totally lying. You just told me it was true so I guess my assumption was correct."

"You're a dick," I said but couldn't help laughing.

"I figured you were. Why else would you agree to be her "pretend" boyfriend just to impress her family? There had to be something in it for you."

"You're good."

"I know. So, is there trouble in paradise?"

"You could say that. It all kind of boils down the fact that I need to learn to keep my big mouth shut for once."

"Yeah... kinda screwed things up with Sora that way also. Do you think they'll ever forgive us?"

I sighed, "Yes. But I don't know why."

"I don't either."

"Cheers to us."

"For being the biggest losers of all time."

We tapped our beer bottles together and let ourselves be consumed by the video games. Not another word was spoken of the messed up woman situation that night.

* * *

><p>I ended up crashing at Yamato's that night. My parents weren't happy about it at all but they eventually gave up trying to force me to come home. I went to school the next day looking like a wrinkled mess. Or another victim of the walk of shame, without actually having done anything that would be considered shameful.<p>

School that day was... weird. Have you ever walked up on someone and realized they were just talking about you? They get that deer in head lights look and then try to play it off like nothing was said. Now, have you ever had it happen to you about fifty times in a row? Yeah. My day went like that. It led me to believe everyone was either still talking about what happened yesterday, or someone had started a new rumor that everyone had already heard about.

To say that I was ready for school to officially be over was the understatement of the year.

Mimi still wasn't talking to me. Sora wouldn't even look at me or acknowledge my existence. Yamato was about the only person at this point that still liked me. But even then I wasn't sure. He still held a grudge with the whole Sora thing. He wouldn't say it now but I know he still blamed me for Sora acting the way she was. When word got out that Mimi and I were together (thanks a lot Yamato) Koushiro started acting weird toward me. If I tried to talk to him in the hallway he quickly made an excuse to leave. I'm pretty sure I even saw him duck into a corner when I came toward him just so he wouldn't have to talk to me.

So to sum everything up, no one was talking to me. And it sucks. I was burning so many bridges, I'd probably drown soon.

I walked in the door at home to find Hikari sitting on the couch, pouting if I was reading into it correctly. Mom and dad were no where to be found, but what else was new.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

She gave me a weird look, "I kind of live here."

"No, I mean, you're not out socializing. You're never home this early."

"Maybe I wanted to come home on time for once, okay?"

Wow. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. But wait. She was fine when we left for school this morning. What happened today that had made her so... not her.

"So..." I said plopping down on the couch next to her, "What's new?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly.

"Nothing... interesting happened in school today?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well something obviously happened to upset you."

"I said I don't want to talk about it, Tai!"

She then got up off the couch and threw the TV remote down on the coffee table. Miko about crapped herself and dashed out of the room in a panic. I kind of jumped myself. I wasn't expecting such rage from her.

She walked into her room and slammed the door. Great, now my own flesh and blood was mad at me.

I sighed and forced myself off the couch.

"Hikari," I called while knocking on her bedroom door.

"Go away!" She yelled back.

"Come on, Hikari."

"I just want to be alone!"

"Hikari, please talk to me. No one else will. I don't want you mad at me too."

There was silence for a minute but she finally opened the door and motioned for me to come in. I hopped over to the pink butterfly chair sitting next to the bed and sat down. Wasn't sure I'd be able to get back out of the chair but it was kind of late for that.

"I'm not mad at you," she said.

"What happened?" I asked again.

"It's stupid."

"Hey, have you seen my track record? I'm the King of stupid. Spill."

"It's Takeru."

"Did you two get in a fight or something?"

"I don't know if I'd exactly call it a fight. It was more of a difference of opinion."

"You've got to clarify more."

She sighed and then prepared her speech, "He is just being so difficult! He did the one thing I never wanted him to do: he broke the friendship code. For whatever reason he all of a sudden said he's been feeling for me more than friendship lately and wanted to know if I felt the same. When I told him no, that we were just friends, he took it kind of hard. He started going on and on about how he must not be good enough for me and how I probably didn't even like blondes and just stupid stuff. I don't even understand. I have no feelings for Takeru that go beyond friendship. I never have. Now that he's confronting me with these feelings, I don't know what to do. It's awkward because he feels one way and I don't feel the same and now I feel like we can't even hang out alone because he'll just be trying to make a move to sway how I feel. I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose him. He's my best friend but he's just made things so awkward I don't know what to do."

"Oh, Takeru. How young and stupid."

"Right? Tai, I'm so stressed out with this. I feel like I'm going to lose him because of this mess."

"If Takeru cares about you as a friend at all, you won't lose him. Believe me. Just sit him down and tell him how you feel. Have an adult conversation without trying to rip each others faces off."

"I don't really have a choice at this point. I just hope he'll talk to me. Those Ishida men take things way too personally."

"He will talk to you."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've been through the same thing with Sora. And while she's not speaking to me at this exact moment, I know that I'll eventually have to sit down and have an adult conversation with her as well."

"I just wish things were easy."

"Me too, kiddo."

"So, what happened with Sora?" She asked, changing subject.

"It's a long story."

"It always is."

"I have a big mouth. That's really all their is to it. Mimi isn't speaking to me at the moment either."

"How in the world could you have possibly screwed things up with Mimi so quickly? That must be a record."

"Hey, hater. Again, big mouth."

"What happened?"

I sighed, "I went over to her place after school yesterday and she decided to inform me that she got offered an internship in Italy for a year. She said she'd be leaving at the end of August and it rose the question as to what would become of us. Needless to say, we got into a fight and she told me to leave."

"She got the internship? Wow! That's so awesome! She's been wanting that forever. I'll have to call and congratulate her."

"Wait. How do you know about that?"

"Tai, it's all she's talked about on Facebook for the past year. Haven't you been paying attention?"

"I do remember her saying something like that. I just never put two and two together."

"Did you at least congratulate her? I mean, it is kind of a big deal."

"No. I was more concerned about the fact that we'd probably break up than anything else."

"Tai. That's not being very supportive of her. When you're in a relationship you have to support the other person no matter what they decide. And _always _be happy for them. This is what Mimi wants to do with her life. She'd be an idiot to turn it down."

"But how can I be happy for her if it means that we won't be together?"

"Sometimes you have to make sacrifices."

I sighed. Here I was, getting love advice from my baby sister and sadly, she was right. I needed to get in touch with Mimi and apologize for being such a dick. I'd also have to make the decision that maybe we shouldn't be exclusive. It's probably going to come down to going back to the way things were; when we were just hanging out and hooking up randomly. I don't want her to be tied down if she wanted to go out and explore the world. She is young and beautiful and driven. Who am I to hold her back from that?

"Thanks, kid," I said, struggling to get up and started leaving the room.

"Where are you going?" She wondered.

"To go fix my mistake. And make a sacrifice."

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Ah, another chapter done. I have the next two already written, just have to go back and review them. They will be the last two chapters. Not sure who's still following this story but review if you are. Thanks!<br>**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer - I own nothing.**

**I've been reading and rereading this chapter over and over again and I think it's finally ready. It's not too long but I think it gets the point across. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14.<strong>

_"Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love is by far the truest type of love." -Author Unknown_

* * *

><p>Like I assumed, Mimi didn't answer her phone when I called. More than once, mind you. I figured she wouldn't. I knew it was a long shot from the beginning but I tried anyways. Instead, I took a cab and went to her apartment where I struggled to get to the door all the way at the end of the hallway.<p>

I rang the doorbell and waited. After a couple of minutes, nothing happened so I rang the doorbell again. I put my ear up to the door and heard no noise so she was either not home or quietly avoiding me. Where could she possibly be? I mean, besides me she didn't really hang out with anyone else.

I had two options. First, I wait her out. I could sit on her door step like a fool and wait for her to come home. Only problem: What if she didn't come home for hours? Or days? Eventually I would get hungry. Not to mention it was a school night so my parents wouldn't be too thrilled with me staying out again. My second option sounded more plausible. Just leave a note and go home. Only I didn't have anything to leave her a note on.

As if by fate, Mimi's neighbor emerged from her apartment giving me a chance to ask for paper and a pen. The girl, who told me her name was Claire, smiled a little too much and agreed to help in my random request. Either she felt bad because I was crippled or was trying to flirt. Either way, it got me the piece of paper and a pen.

I scribbled on the paper, hoping it was legible. I wedged it in between the door and hoped that she would read it before tearing it up and throwing it away.

"Well," I said aloud, "I guess I'll go home, then."

I hesitated for a minute and then decided to leave. I don't know where Mimi went but I had a feeling she wouldn't be back any time soon. All I could do was go home and hope that she called.

* * *

><p>"Tai..."<p>

I heard the voice, but ignored it anyways. I was having a pool party with a bunch of models. Adriana Lima was feeding me grapes and stroking my arm. Brooklyn Decker, she was massaging my feet. Oh, and Bar Rafaeli was rubbing my shoulders. All this was happening while I watched the other girls bounce around in their bikinis. No way in hell was I going to pass this up by responding to someone else.

"Tai..."

I think I moaned and swatted at the voice calling to me.

"Tai!"

"Go. Away," I mumbled into my pillow.

I was then kicked.

"Ow!" I shouted, opening my eyes and seeing my sister standing above me, "What the hell is your problem?"

"Tai, we have to go to school. We're already late. Wake. Up!" Hikari shouted, kicking me again and taking my pillow away.

School. Late. Wednesday.

I sat up and realized I was in the living room. I fell asleep on the couch? I reached for my phone and saw that it was six fifty in the morning. School started in thirty minutes. We were going to be late.

I got off the couch and rushed into my room, passing Hikari on the way.

"Why did you let me sleep on the couch?" I shouted.

"I tried to wake you up to go in your room but you just groaned something mean and rolled over so I left you," Hikari replied, fixing herself a to-go coffee mug.

"Ten minutes."

"We should already be leaving by now."

"I realize that!"

I hurried to get ready for school. I suddenly remembered that Mimi never called me last night and I got a little bummed. Oh, who am I kidding? I was completely bummed. She was avoiding me hard-core. It's kind of hard to be in a relationship with someone if they won't even give you the time of day.

"Are you ready yet?" Hikari yelled from the living room.

"Yes!" I shouted back, quickly putting on my jacket and grabbing my bag.

Hikari was already standing by the door tapping her foot impatiently. I put on my shoes as fast as I could while her eyes dug a hole through my skull the entire time. If there was one thing my perfectionist of a sister hated above all things, it was being late for school.

"Tie," Hikari said.

"What?" I replied.

"No. Tie."

"What!"

"You're not wearing a tie!"

"That is the least of my worries right now."

"You know they'll write you up if you break dress code."

"I don't care. Let's go."

I grabbed my crap and rushed her toward the door. I ran into her when she dead stopped after opening the front door. I looked up to see Mimi standing in front of me, looking just as shocked as I felt.

"Mimi," was all I could manage.

"Hey... Tai," she said slowly.

Hikari rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Oh my God! I'll just go to school alone! Hi Mimi, bye Mimi."

"Hi," Mimi said but then Hikari took off running, "Bye."

"Do you want to come in?"

"I didn't realize you were on your way to school. It can wait."

"No, no it can't. Come in. I'm already late it's not going to make a difference."

"Won't your parents be mad?"

"That would require my parents to actually be here. School's over in a week. They won't care. I'm already graduating. It's all good."

"Okay."

I stepped aside and let her in the apartment. I do have to say I wasn't expecting this confrontation so early. This conversation would either make or break my day. I was expecting the latter.

Mimi didn't sit. Instead, she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. She had something to say but didn't want to be the first one to initiate it. I got a sickening feeling in my stomach that this was going to be "the talk". You know. The one that ends the relationship.

"I got your note," she said.

"You could've called. You didn't have to waste a trip over here," I said.

"I needed to see you."

"Why?"

"To convince myself that I'm making the right decision."

"What decision would that be?"

She didn't say anything, just stood there and looked at me with sad eyes. This was it. She was going to break up with me. Our whole four day relationship down the drain.

She sighed and approached me. Again, we said nothing. To say I was surprised when she kissed me would be an understatement. It was a slow, cautious kiss. Very passionate; like it would be the last kiss we ever shared. It made me sad.

She pulled away and looked into my eyes, "I wish I didn't like you as much as I do. It would make it so much easier."

"Make what easier?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

She sighed, "Breaking up with you."

"So don't."

"Tai, we have issues. Issues that won't just go away. We're in two different places in our lives and I think that if we were to drag this out, we'd both just end up getting hurt in the long haul. I don't want us to break up, but after what happened the other day... it really made me take a look at my priorities."

"What are your priorities?"

"My biggest priority right now is my future. I have to do what I can to make sure that my life plays out the way I've been dreaming it would since I was fifteen. I need this internship. I want to make my own way in this world without my parents. I got this without their help or money which is kind of a big deal for me. I don't want to rely on them for everything for the rest of my life. I am good at cooking and entertaining. It's what I want to do. I know you think it's just a joke of a career but-"

"I never said I thought it was a joke. I think you'll be wonderful at whatever you do. Listen, I want you to take the internship. I never said I didn't. I was being selfish and petty and I didn't react in the best way. I know I hurt your feelings and I'm sorry. I really am. I'm trying to learn to actually think before I say things out loud because it usually ends badly. You haven't talked to me for two days. Its been absolute torture."

She let out a frustrated sigh, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Say things to sway how I'm thinking and feeling. I had this whole speech planned out in my head and then you go and say things like that and it makes me completely forget my reasoning behind everything. Why do you have that effect on me?"

I just shrugged. I really didn't have an answer for that. I wasn't aware that I had any effect on her thought process at all.

"Now I don't know what to do," she continued, "Do we break up? Do we stay together? What happens now? I _am _taking the internship. I had my mind made up before we even had that fight. It was wishful thinking, I guess; thinking you'd be as thrilled as I was about my leaving."

"I'm not thrilled that you'll be leaving but I would never stop you from achieving your dreams. If you wanted to go be a stripper for a living... I guess I would find a way to get over it. I wouldn't be happy but if it's what you loved then I would accept it."

It was then that she attacked me. This kiss was different from before. This one was hungry, frustrated. Sadly enough, I've come to realize that Mimi is better at making up her mind through us being physical. I should complain, but hey. I'm a guy. We have our needs.

She managed to push me up against the wall, never once breaking our make out session. She had her hands tangled throughout my hair, pulling me as close to her as possible. She was on fire and I was burning up from it.

She finally pulled away, out of breath. She put both her hands on my cheeks so that I was looking directly into her eyes.

"Are you sure we can't just be friends with benefits?" She asked.

"Is that a serious question?" I asked appalled.

"You have a wonderful penis. My only issue is the person it's attached to."

"Mimi!"

She laughed, making me smile, then sighed, "I'm joking. Trying to lighten the mood. So where do we go from here?"

"How about this. We don't have to break up, but we don't have to be exclusive either. Maybe just agree not to see other people without the label. Kind of like an open relationship."

"Open as in..."

"We take it day-by-day."

"I guess we can do that. We're kind of in over our heads at this point. We can't go back to being just friends."

"I agree. But we will always _be_ friends, no matter what happens between us."

"Right. So, now what?"

"Well, I have to go to school. I don't know what your plans are but I really have to get going."

"Oh! School! Right, right. This will be so much easier when you're not in school any more."

"Graduation is next week. Am I saving you a ticket?"

"I'll be in the front row cheering you on. I'll even bring a cow bell."

"Just bring yourself and it'll be perfect."

She smiled and stuck her tongue out at me. I leaned in and kissed her. So this day didn't turn out as horrible as I'd thought. I mean, school was going to suck, but what else was new?

Mimi moaned out loud when I began nibbling on her neck. I'm glad she stopped me, or else I wouldn't have made it to school that day.

"Okay, okay," she said, pushing me slightly away, "You have to go to school. I hope you have a great day."

"That expectation is too high. No one is really talking to me right now."

"Oh. Well, have... the day you... have?"

"I'll try?"

"I'll drive you to school."

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"I want to."

"Well, if you insist..."

* * *

><p>I finally made it to school after first hour had ended. The woman behind the office desk winked at me as I checked in late. If she wasn't an attractive twenty-something I probably would have felt uncomfortable.<p>

I made it to second hour, which is the most boring class of the day: Calculus. All the teacher did the whole time was ramble about our final. All I got from it was blah, blah, blah, here's a cheat sheet. See, the thing about my Calculus teacher is he's not very subtle. He has a tendency to make study sheets with the exact questions on the test, just worded differently. But hey, at least I always aced them.

Like the previous two days, everyone was ignoring me. At this point, I kind of didn't care. Kou was still ducking into corners so he didn't have to talk to me and Sora just burnt holes into my skull when I passed by.

"Hello, Sora," I said nicely when I passed her before lunch.

"Go to hell," she responded.

"I hear it's nice this time of year."

"Jackass."

That was the most we've spoken to each other since Monday. It's not much, but at least it's progress. I'm kind of taking what I can get at this point.

I walked into the cafeteria during lunch and stumbled to my usual table. I was soon joined by my sister, Daisuke, and Takeru. Yamato found his way to us eventually. I guess my sister and Takeru came to some kind of agreement. They were acting like nothing happened so that's probably good. Kou didn't bother sitting with us again and Sora made an excuse to be elsewhere.

"So what did you two do to piss everyone off this time?" Takeru asked.

Yamato and I both began protesting loudly.

"We didn't do anything!" Yamato stated.

"Women are just crazy," I added.

"What do women have to do with Kou avoiding us?" Takeru asked.

"'Cause Tai and Mimi are doing it," Yamato chirped in.

I could've died right there. There it was. My secret was out. Now everyone would know because Daisuke had a bigger mouth than even Miyako. He would end up telling half the school. Good job, Yamato.

Oh, for the record, when I said Yamato had already told everyone, I was mistaken. Only Koushiro had found out. But now, everyone really did know.

All of their eyes were on me. Well, Takeru and Daisuke anyways. My sister already knew. I could feel my face getting hot. This was not the conversation I was planning to have today.

"You... and Mimi?" Takeru asked, breaking the silence.

"Thanks a lot, Yama," I growled.

"I thought they knew!" He stated, honestly surprised.

"Obviously not."

"Oops. Sorry."

"Would it be totally inappropriate to give you a fist bump right now? Because you completely deserve one! Wha cha!" Daisuke said throwing his hand up in the air. We all just stared at him like he was an idiot until he put his hand down.

"I didn't realize... is Mimi even still in town?" Takeru wondered.

"She lives here now, dude. Don't you remember? She told us that at your party," Daisuke said.

"I'm surprised you even remember that. You were wasted. I was not."

Daisuke shrugged.

"So are you two together or something?" Takeru wanted to know.

"Kind of. I don't know. Not really but technically yes?" I replied, receiving even more confused looks.

"So she didn't come over to break up with you this morning?" Hikari piped up.

"Wait, you knew? Why didn't you tell me?" Takeru said.

"It wasn't my business to tell!" Hikari defended.

"I said I was sorry!" Yamato said, "But since we're on the subject, you guys make a really cute couple."

I rolled my eyes. What a disaster this conversation was turning into. Takeru was mad because my sister didn't tell him about the situation, Daisuke wanted to congratulate me for "hitting that", Hikari was trying to defend herself for not telling Takeru, and Yamato was just picking at his food trying to ignore us all. I decided that was probably my best chance to make a quick exit. They weren't paying attention to me any more anyways.

I grabbed my sandwich and crutches and left the table. Like I thought, no one noticed. Which was fine by me. I got out of there as quickly as I could. I didn't need any more awkward conversation today.

I headed toward a free computer lab to finish my lunch. I honestly considered just leaving for the day but I couldn't really afford to miss out on the final exam prep. Plus, I had a meeting with my guidance counselor about college after school.

The rest of the day passed by without incident. Well, if you don't include all the annoying text messages from Daisuke asking a million questions and Yamato continuously apologizing to me about outing me and Mimi.

I found myself sitting in the guidance counselor's office once school finally ended. The room reminded me of Dr. Anderson's office. Cold, boring, white walls. The book shelf on the far wall was packed full of what looked like every book in known existence. There was a fake plant in the corner and a picture of two kids sitting on the desk. A boy and a girl.

"Good afternoon," a voice called from the door.

I looked up to see a young woman standing in front of me. She was hot! And American. Blonde hair, green eyes, nice smile. What happened to the batty old woman that used to be my guidance counselor?

"I'm Mrs. Collier," she said, extending a hand for me to shake, "You must be Tai."

"I don't mean to be rude but what happened to Ms. Park?" I wondered while shaking her hand.

"Oh! Her daughter is having a baby. She won't be back until next semester. I'm filling in for the rest of the school year."

"Oh. I didn't know she had a daughter. Um, another random question, and again, not trying to be rude. You're American. And you speak perfect Japanese. Can I ask how?"

"My husband is in the Air Force. We're stationed here for the next three years so I figured might as well learn the language."

"You picked it up just like that? It isn't exactly the easiest language in the world to learn."

She shrugged like it was no big deal, "Well, I've been married to my husband since I was eighteen and we've traveled a lot of places in the eight years we've been married. I studied a lot because he was gone a lot. Well, until we had the twins and then I decided I needed a part time job or I'd go crazy. But enough of that, we need to get started. I have another appointment shortly after you."

"Oh, right."

"So," she began, taking a seat in the huge swivel chair behind the desk, "What schools have you applied to?"

"My two big ones are Tokyo and Kyoto. I've applied to some smaller schools as back ups but Tokyo is really where I want to go."

"Tokyo is a good school. What qualifications do you possess that would make them consider you?"

"Well, I played soccer all through high school. I know that looks good as far as extra curricular."

"Did you write a good essay? They really do put that into consideration when reviewing your application. It's not always about good grades. You could be number one in your class but if you don't do anything outside of that, they won't even consider you. Big schools like well-rounded people. They want diversity and student's that will bring character. Now, the point of our meeting today is for us to discuss your chances of getting into said schools and possibly exploring other options. I've been reviewing your file. You have had pretty decent grades in the three years you've been here. You will be ending the school year with a B average, which is good. You also have a lot of extra curricular activities. You did very well in soccer, like you said. It says here you were in varsity your first year and by second year you were Captain. That shows a lot of leadership. Which kind of brings me to question why you didn't get considered for a scholarship in athletics?"

"Does that file happen to say anything about an altercation I had a couple months back?"

She looked down and searched through the file but ended up just shaking her head, "No. There's nothing here about an altercation."

"I got into a fight with another student. They threatened expulsion but instead decided to put me in counseling to work out my feelings or some crap instead. It has helped, but at the same time soccer wasn't even an option any more. As soon as my coach found out about it he kicked me off the team. Right before the scout's were supposed to come."

"That's a shame. You could have gotten a full-ride through sports. Luckily for you, your file shows no record of the incident. I wasn't even aware of it until you telling me just now."

"I made a mistake and I'm paying the consequences. There's no changing it now."

There was a knock on the door and we both turned to see another student waiting for their counseling session.

"Ah, that would be my two thirty," Bridget said, "Well, college acceptance letters should be coming any day now. I'd say your chances of getting into the school of your choosing is pretty good. Do you have any questions?"

"Nope."

"Okay. Well, it was nice to meet you. If you need anything, I'll be here all summer."

"You have to work over the summer?"

"I'm not just a fill-in guidance counselor. I also teach summer school classes."

"Wow. Pretty and smart."

"And a totally inappropriate comment. Have a good day, Mr. Yagami."

"Sorry."

"Good day."

I stood and exited the room. I headed home after that. Today was supposed to be my last session with Dr. Anderson but she had to reschedule so now we're looking at Friday instead. Fine by me. I have yet to give her my side of the story. Truth be told, I haven't even started it. I haven't had time and in all honesty, I'm avoiding it. I'm dreading reliving that situation. She'll get her story but it won't be until then.

* * *

><p>I got home and for the first time in I don't know how long, my mom is there. The first thing I notice when I walk in the door is something cooking. It doesn't smell burnt, so that's a good sign. My mom can't cook to save her life. Hikari and I would rather starve than eat half the crap she comes up with.<p>

"What's cooking?" I ask, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"I'm baking a cake!" She announces proudly.

"Um, okay? What's the occasion?"

Her smile got even bigger, if that was at all possible. She was kind of starting to scare me. Is this the part where she announces I'm getting a baby brother?

I didn't get a chance to ask more questions. At that exact moment, Hikari came bursting through the front door.

"Did I miss it? Did he open it yet?" She asked frantically, dropping everything at the front door and running into the kitchen.

I look between the two of them completely confused, "Okay, can someone please fill me in on what's happening? You're both freaking me out."

"These came for you in the mail today!" My mother said and handed me two packets. One was from the University of Kyoto, the other From Tokyo.

This was it. My entire future currently rested in my hands. Make it or break it.

"Just open it already!" Hikari almost screamed. I think she was more excited than me.

"They could be rejection letter's. Let's not get our hopes up," I said.

"Oh come on! They wouldn't send you an entire packet if they rejected you. Just open them!"

I did open them. Slowly. My heart was racing. What would I do if I didn't get into either one of them? Tokyo is my family's Alma Mater. Ever since I was six years old my parents have talked about nothing else. It's always been my first choice. I applied to Kyoto because of Sora's father. He was always raving about the education I could possibly achieve from them. What with him being a professor and all, he put in a strong recommendation for me in the admissions department.

I opened the Tokyo packet first. The top piece of paper went as follows:

_Dear Mr. Yagami,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the University of Tokyo's Political Science program.  
><em>

I didn't even continue reading after that. This thing said accepted and that's all that mattered. It was even signed by the Dean and everything.

"I didn't get in," I said slowly.

The look on my mom and Hikari's faces was priceless.

"What? Oh, no," my mom said on the verge of tears.

"Tai, I-" Hikari began, not knowing what to say.

"I'm kidding. I got in!" I said hurriedly, before real tears started to fall.

"What?" Mom asked confused.

"I was lying before! I really got in. Here, look!"

I handed the acceptance letter to my mom and both she and my sister skimmed it quickly. That was when the squealing and jumping and hugging and tears began. I was pulled from my chair into massive hugs from both of them. Tears were falling down their faces. It was either really pathetic, or the best reaction I've ever gotten from family over something I've accomplished.

"I have to call your father! We're going to dinner tonight to celebrate! Anywhere you want, sweetie!" Mom said, running to grab the phone and quickly calling Dad.

"I am so proud of you, Tai," Hikari said, hugging me one last time, "This is such an exciting day!"

"I can't believe it," I replied, "I've been wanting for this for a long time."

"Well, you got in. That's all that matters. One question though. Why Political Science?"

I shrugged, "I dunno, really. If I kick ass for my bachelor's degree maybe one day I'll get into law school. It's a long shot but-"

"You can do whatever you put your mind to. You're a born leader. People listen to you."

"Thank you, Hikari."

"Your father says congratulations. He's _very_ proud, son. Dinner tonight at seven. You should invite Sora!" Mom said.

Hikari and I look at each other before she responds for me.

"Sora has to work at her mom's shop tonight," Hikari said, making me sigh with relief.

"Oh, that's too bad. What about your girlfriend?" Mom wonders.

"Who?" I replied stupidly.

"Mimi..." Hikari whispered, nudging me.

"Oh, yeah," I said, feeling like an idiot.

"Tell her to join us. This is a night of celebration, after all. The more the merrier!" Mom said, and danced into the living room.

"Would it be appropriate to invite Mimi? I mean, considering you two are kind of unsure what your status is right now," Hikari whispered again.

"Well, this is kind of a big deal. I feel like she'd want to be there to celebrate it with me, regardless of the situation."

"Call her."

I decided to text her instead. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick message.

_Got some great news today. Dinner tonight with my family?  
><em>

She responded with: _Of course! What time? _

I told her the time and she said she'd meet me there. I trusted she had nothing better to do tonight so I was highly expecting her to be there.

"You should open the letter from Kyoto," Hikari said all of a sudden.

"I already got into the school of my dreams. Why bother?" I asked.

"Just open it."

I looked down at the package from Kyoto and hesitated before opening it. It didn't matter whether I was accepted into both schools or not. Tokyo was my choice, hands down. I only applied to other schools as back-ups.

"What does it say?" Hikari asked.

I smirked and shook my head, "I got in."

"Tai, that's wonderful."

I was baffled. If someone had told me two months ago that I'd be going to the college of my dreams I would have laughed in their face. Now, here I am in the present and I'm not just getting into my dream school, but another renowned school as well. I could officially say this was the happiest day of my life.

I chose a small restaurant downtown for my celebration dinner. It was always my favorite place to go as a kid. My parents used to take me there for my birthday every year. I guess my tastes haven't exactly changed but then again, I'm not very picky.

I had my family go ahead and get our table while I waited outside for Mimi. She was late.

I stood on the side walk constantly checking the time on my phone. Hikari came to check on me but I assured her Mimi would be there any minute. When she went back inside and I was alone again, the thought crossed my mind that maybe Mimi was standing me up. I knew she liked to be fashionably late but this was kind of ridiculous.

Just as I was about to give up and go in, I heard her call for me from the parking lot. I turned and saw her walking toward me. She was absolutely beautiful. She was dressed in a white summer dress with brown cowboy boots. Her hair was curled how I like and had a pink bow holding it back on one side. I couldn't stop staring.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" She said, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me.

"You look so pretty," I said.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

"Yeah. I clean up well."

"You certainly do."

She fiddled with my tie and straightened out my collar. A weird thought crossed my mind. For some reason, in that moment, I imagined Mimi being a trophy wife to some wealthy business man. He'd be leaving for another meeting and she'd be constantly fussing over his tie being crooked. It would drive him crazy but he'd know she was right, and let her do it anyways. And then the thought of that business man being me crossed my mind. I quickly pushed it aside. Thinking too far ahead on that one.

"So," she asked, "What's the big news?"

"Well, I uh, got accepted into Tokyo."

Her eyes widened, "You're going to Tokyo?"

"That's the plan."

"Tai, that's wonderful news! I am so happy for you!"

She smiled and hugged me again, genuinely happy for me. She smelled great. Like flowers and candy. Her being in my arms made me feel... complete, as lame as that sounds.

"I hate to break up the love fest, but dad's getting kind of anxious," Hikari said, popping her head out of the door again.

"Right," I said, snapping back into reality, "After you."

"Thank you, sir."

I put my hand on the small of her back and lead her into the restaurant.

Dinner was fairly... uneventful. At first, at least. Dad talked about work most of the time. Complaining to anyone that would listen. Mom kept cooing over my acceptance into Tokyo. Hikari and Mimi chatted, catching up. I just kind of sat back and listened.

It was nice, having everyone together like this. All of our lives had been so hectic lately. I was ready to graduate and Hikari was stressed about finals. Dad was stressed at the office. He was in the running for a promotion against this snake of a man that had been trying to sabotage him from day one. Dad was great at his job though and everyone liked him so he pretty much had it in the bag. Then there was my mom. She couldn't really complain about being stressed. She doesn't work. Hikari cooks almost ninety percent of our meals. Nine percent of the time we eat out and on the rare one percent occasion, mom attempts to cook. Now that I'm thinking about it, what the heck does my mom do all day? I know she doesn't sit around the apartment because she's never home after school. Maybe she has a hobby I'm not aware of. Or a secret boyfriend! That would be an interesting scandal. Dad probably wouldn't even notice. He's such a space case.

"So, Mimi," Dad said suddenly, catching everyone's attention, "What are your plans now that you're out of school?"

"Mimi got an internship," I said quickly, "In Italy."

Dad kind of glared at me for speaking without being addressed, "I think she can speak for herself. What kind of internship?"

"It's a cooking internship," Mimi said proudly.

"Oh. Cooking," Dad said, "So you want to be a chef?"

"I mean, not really. I want to entertain. Like on Food Network."

"That sounds... entertaining."

Hikari and I both looked at our father kind of shocked. He was being bluntly rude to Mimi. He had no idea how excited she was about this internship. He was talking to her like it was some kind of joke. To be honest, he was kind of reacting the same way I had originally. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

"Italy sounds expensive," Dad continued, "How are you managing that?"

"Well, I'll probably get a job while I'm there," Mimi said, "At least to pay for necessities. The internship covers for me to stay in an apartment while I'm there."

"Your parents... don't they plan to help you out?"

"I'm kind of trying to do this on my own."

"Well, good for you."

I couldn't understand why he was being so rude to her. It's not like he's ever come out and said that he didn't like her. It didn't make any sense.

"Is something wrong with the steak?" Dad asked, noticing Mimi hadn't even touched the meat sitting in the middle of the table. She'd only helped herself to the side dishes.

"Oh," Mimi said, suddenly seeming embarrassed, "I don't eat steak."

"Why?"

"Just... reasons."

"How are you going to do a cooking internship if you don't even eat the foods you'll be preparing?"

"Okay!" Mom said, interrupting before this thing blew up in our faces, "Congratulations on your internship, Mimi. That's really wonderful. I really do enjoy cooking myself. I'm not the greatest at it, but it's fun nonetheless."

"Thank you, Mrs. Yagami. I really appreciate it," Mimi said, sounded extremely relieved.

"I think Mimi will be wonderful at whatever she does," I said defensively.

Dad just glared at me and took another sip of his red wine. It was his third glass. I never realized it before, but man, he became such an ass when he drank. I really didn't appreciate the way he was talking to Mimi. It was inappropriate and completely uncalled for. She had done nothing wrong.

Dinner came to an abrupt end shortly after that. Mom made Dad go sit in the car so she could drive. Mimi offered to drive me home, to which I was extremely grateful. I wanted nothing to do with my father at that moment and being locked in an enclosed space with him would be a very bad thing.

"It's nothing personal against Mimi. He's just really stressed out right now and lashed out at the unfamiliar," Mom tried to say quietly once we were alone, but I still wasn't having it.

"He had no right to talk to her like that! Imagine how she feels right now. She'll probably never come around the family again thanks to him!" I all but shouted.

"I agree it was inappropriate. I will talk to him. But like I said, it was nothing personal against your girlfriend."

"Just-" I sighed, "Whatever. I'll be home later."

"Don't be out too late."

"Yes, ma'am."

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and then turned to Mimi, giving her a reassuring look. Mimi nodded, almost as if she understood, and then my mom left. I walked to Mimi and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered into her hair.

She just shook her head and buried into my chest, "Don't apologize."

"No, Mimi, he was completely out of line. You didn't deserve that."

"Seriously, don't worry about it. He didn't say anything more to me than my own father hasn't already said. This isn't exactly the ideal career path my parents had planned for me. My father wanted me to go to law school and follow in his foot steps. It's not for me. I'm an artist and a free spirit and he can't accept that. Your father was kind of reacting the same way. He thinks that I'm wasting my time and that you have a girlfriend who just wants to live job-to-job the rest of her life. No one can really understand. At the same time, my father also wished for a son but that never happened either."

"Mimi, I-"

"Stop trying to apologize. This is my choice; no one else. I'll just work hard and do what I want to make everyone proud of me."

"And tell them I told you so."

She kind of laughed, "It's not even about throwing it in anyone's face. It's about growing up and doing what I want to do for the first time in my life without any help along the way."

"You really are special. You know that?"

She shrugged, "What do you say we get out of here? I know this great little place just down the street with awesome pie."

"You don't eat pie."

"I can make an exception. For you."

"I am always down for some pie."

I got home around ten. Mom and Dad were already asleep, thank goodness. I wasn't in the mood to deal with my father. It would have turned into a screaming match and that was the last thing I needed. Instead, I went into my room and shut the door behind me.

I laid in my bed just staring at the ceiling for a while. I couldn't stop thinking about Mimi. In the short time that she'd been back, she'd changed so much. She was this flirty, fun, outgoing little thing without a care in the world and then just recently she's become this mature woman with a strong mind-set and a budding future. I envy her. She is getting beat down with negativity from every side and just keeps pulling through. Her dad threatened to cut her off financially if she goes through with the internship. He thinks it's a joke. He wants her to have a career that will make a lot of money even if it makes her miserable. But at what cost? Her sanity?

Mimi's father is stressed out and tired all the time. He is a partner at a law firm in Manhattan and works sixty plus hour work weeks. When he's not working all he ever wants to do is sleep. Mimi fears her parents marriage may crumble because of it. She's already convinced her mother is having an affair, which she mentioned tonight. I never would have assumed that but I guess it makes sense. Never seeing the person you're married to can be trying on a marriage, regardless of how long you've been with that person. Everyone has needs, I understand that. I see my mother go through periods of the same thing. She threatens to leave my father a lot but it never actually happens. She realizes how ridiculous she's being and everything turns out okay.

I've come to realize that sometimes love isn't enough. If you really love someone you have to show them that you do. Not just tell them. People like Mimi's mother need to be shown how much they're loved. They grieve for attention and without it, they fall apart. I sincerely hope Mimi doesn't turn out that way.

I look over at the clock on my desk and realize it's pushing midnight but I can't sleep. I have too many things going through my head. Most of which are the things going on in my life right now.

Truth be told, I wish everything would just fall together like it's supposed to instead of falling apart like it has been. I wish Sora wasn't mad at me because at the end of the day, I miss her terribly and it eats me alive knowing that she hates me right now. I also wish that Sora and Yamato were still together. Things were so much less complicated when they were together. It's hard imagining a world where they don't end up together. If any two people were made to be together it would be them. They deserve to be happy and I honestly think that they are the happiest when they're together, even if they can't see it right now.

On another note, I also wish Koushiro wasn't upset with me. I feel like he'll eventually get over it but right now I'm being a bad friend. He's not talking to me but at the same I'm not going out of my way to talk to him either. I really would like to sit him down and just explain everything and get him to tell me how he's feeling. Unfortunately, he's a very complex person. He doesn't like to talk about feelings or what he thinks. He usually just keeps to himself. I'll have to fix that. Kou is one of my best friends and I'm not willing to lose that relationship.

I sighed. I can honestly say that I'm not exactly sure how the future is going to unfold. It's wishful thinking, hoping that everyone will just be happy in the end. I'm happy, in a way. I mean, I got into the school of my choosing, which feels amazing. I have Mimi, for the moment at least. My relationship with Yamato is still kind of rocky, but at least we're on speaking terms.

I sit up in my bed and look at the computer. For whatever reason, I'm finally ready to explain my story to Dr. Anderson. I get up and walk over to the computer, turning it on and slowly watching it come to life. It takes a good minute, but it finally functions enough to let me begin my story. She'll be thrilled when I see her on Friday. She's been waiting for this since day one.

The screen for my blank word document appears and I inhale deeply. I'll get this down in writing if it takes me all damn night. I put my fingers on the keyboard and begin.

My name is Yagami Taichi, and this is my story.

**To be continued...**

One chapter left! So excited this story is coming to an end! Even more excited that I finished the story! As always, please review!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer - I don't own it.**

**Longest chapter in the story. Guess it's good it's the last one. Sorry it took so long to get this updated. I kept reading and rereading this stupid chapter to make sure everything turns out the way I pictured it. I'm still not thrilled with it but I'm over it at this point. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen<strong>

_"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time." -Abraham Lincoln__  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>"<strong>Better late than never.<strong>**  
><strong>_

_Here is it. My last and final entry in the "Ramblings of a Disgruntle Teenage Boy" drama fest. We've been meeting for almost three months now and I figured I might as well go out with a bang and finally give you my side of the story; considering it's kind of why I started this stupid thing in the first place. This is the side no one knows except the people involved. Now that you've talked to me and know more about my life I think you'll understand it better. Here we go..._

_It all started the week Yamato and Sora broke up, which was sometime back at the end of February. Well, being the best friend of both Yamato and Sora, I somehow got pulled into the middle of their breakup. Both of them were coming to me for advice and a shoulder to cry on. After hearing both sides, I realized that Yamato was the one that was broken up with and that Sora had done the dumping. I originally thought it was Yamato that broke up with her but that wasn't the case. But that's beside the point...  
><em>

_So, they broke up and within a couple of days Sora started to get really clingy with me. She was calling me all the time and wanted to spend every waking moment with me and never once mentioned Yamato through any of it. If I tried to get her to talk about it she would just change the subject. She didn't even seem like she cared that she'd broken his heart. It seemed strange, but who was I to judge? I was just the supportive best friend through it. _

_I remember everything like it happened yesterday. It was a Saturday night and I was hanging out with Sora at her apartment while her parents were out at dinner. We were watching some really lame chick flick that she'd picked out and to this day I still could not tell you what happened in that movie. _

_So, we're sitting there on the couch and things seemed pretty chill, when all of a sudden Sora just kind of attacked me. I don't know why or how it happened but the fact is that it did. She had me pinned against the couch and had her hands were clutching my face. Now, at first it freaked me out. I was making out with my best friend and I didn't exactly know how to feel about it. I'd tried to imagine what it would feel like for so long that once it finally happened it just felt... wrong; like what we were doing was something dirty and it shouldn't be happening. But eventually, I gave into it and it began to feel right.  
><em>

_You want to know the worst part? Not once during the whole thing did I think of how Yamato would feel if he found out. Sadly, I let my bad judgment get the better of me and didn't see any reason to try and stop what was happening. _

_So, yeah. That's kind of the back story. We didn't sleep together or anything, but we did have a pretty heated make-out session. The next day, for some reason beyond my knowledge, she decided to go and tell Yamato about it, and then he decided to take matters into his own hands and approach me the next Monday at school._

_Now, in my defense, I eventually did stop the kiss. I came to my senses at some point and realized how wrong the whole situation was. Sora was using me in a moment of vulnerability and in the process I ended up betraying Yamato. (I'm the victim in this, remember?)  
><em>

_I remember standing at my locker with Hikari and Takeru. It was nearing the end of the day and I was trying to get my things together to bring home for homework. The next thing I knew, I heard Yamato shouting something and then my body being slammed up against the lockers. _

_"How dare you, you piece of shit!" He said and pushed me against the lockers again._

_"Whoa, what are you doing, Yamato?" Takeru said jumping between him and me.  
><em>

_"You think you can get take advantage of my girl and there be no consequences after?" Yamato shouted, this time pushing Takeru out of the way and throwing a punch._

_"Yamato, it's not what you think!" I said in defense as I avoided the punch. Yamato was never a very good fighter. His aim is always off. It's like he doesn't even try. He just goes all primal. But again, beside the point.  
><em>

_"Fuck you, Tai! (Excuse the language) You know I love her and you betrayed me!"  
><em>

_At this point he charged me and then all hell broke loose. We were on the ground rolling around punching the shit out of each other. Hikari and Takeru were shouting and trying to break us up and people were gathering quickly to see the fight. _

_In all honesty, I should have just let Yamato beat the ever living crap out of me and be done with it. Hell, I know I deserved it. The only problem is that when someone comes at me physically, I can't stop myself from fighting back. It's a defense mechanism.  
><em>

_Everything from that point is a blur. I was like a pissed off bull seeing red and nothing was going to stop me. _

_I manged to get the advantage on Yamato and just started hitting him left and right. I think Hikari started crying at one point and Takeru was trying to pull me off of his brother. I pushed Takeru and he fell backwards. Hikari rushed to his side in horror.  
><em>

_Yamato's face was bleeding and starting to swell but I couldn't make myself stop hitting him. Something overcame me and I turned into a monster. I turned into someone I never want to know again.  
><em>

_"Stop it! You're killing him!" I remember hearing, but I'm not entirely sure who said it._

_Within minutes administrators had us pulled apart. Someone was shouting for anyone to call an ambulance and I was hauled away. Next thing I know, I'm sitting in a room waiting for my parents, and the police, to show up. My rage had ceased and I knew in that moment I'd messed up.  
><em>

_Yamato ended up in the hospital with a concussion and a couple of bruised ribs. I beat him pretty badly. It still kills me to this day that he didn't press charges. I turned into an animal and should have suffered greater consequences for it. _

_So there you have it. That's my side of the story. This whole thing started because of a girl. A girl that tore everything apart for reasons I still don't understand. _

_In the end, I do regret everything. If I could take it all back I would. Everyone tells me that everything happens for a reason but I'm not always sure that's the case. I never wanted something like that to happen. Everything is so screwed up now and nothing is like it used to be. Yamato and I are friends again, sure, but we'll never be friends like we used to be. Sora and I will never have a normal relationship again either. We're trying but it's just not the same; especially now that Mimi's in the picture. _

_I now know that the true reason she broke up with Yamato in the first place is because she wanted to pursue something with me because she was getting bored. When I denied her of that (after stopping the kiss that _she_ started), she got mad and turned everything around to make it look like it was my fault. She ended up telling Yamato that I'm the one that took advantage of her and that she didn't want the kiss in the first place. Which was a lie. It's also the reason that he confronted me in school that day. He knows now that everything she told him was a lie and has apologized profusely about it, even though I'm the one that should be apologizing.  
><em>

_All of our relationships are broken. Yamato and Sora are not together any more. This time, he broke up with her after seeing the true side of everything (well, that and he was kind of seeing someone on the side but that's a whole different story that no one even knows about). She's manipulative and deceitful. He wants nothing to do with her any more. I don't think she even cares regardless. I think the only reason she went back to him in the first place is because she doesn't like to be alone. She quit trying to keep that relationship alive a long time ago. The moment she started looking for attention elsewhere should have been an eye opener for everyone. I'm glad Yamato finally realized that. He deserves better. Hell, we both do._

_You're probably asking yourself: what happens now? Well, I'm not entirely sure. I still love Sora. She has done so many things to hurt so many people but I can't make myself stop caring for her. I wish I could bring myself to hate her but I can't and I know I never will. She will always be my friend at the end of the day. She's the one person in this world that knows everything about me. I'm hoping things will settle down and go back to normal but I don't think it will. Once something is broken, it never gets put back together the same way. _

_I'm not sure what that love for Sora means any more though. I don't want to be with her. I don't think I ever really did. I think I just wanted something I knew I could never have. It's kind of one of those "I love you but I'm not in love with you" situations. Truth be told, I'm glad she's moving now. I think distance will make things better._

_Speaking of distance, Yamato got offered a recording contract. He's been in this band "The Teenage Wolves" ever since he was fourteen years old. (They are just "The Wolves" now though). They're pretty good and they have gotten a lot of gigs over the years. Well, now that we're about to graduate, someone has shown interest and wants to sign them. The only problem is that it's a company in the United States. Some company called Atlantic Records out in California. I hear they're pretty big._

_Yamato and the band have been waiting for an opportunity like this to come along for a really long time. The guy who wants to sign them is planning to fly them out to California next week to make a demo CD. They're going to record a couple of songs and then see where it goes from there. Everyone is pretty excited. It goes without saying that they're taking this opportunity with open arms. I'm happy for him. _

_If Sora hadn't decided to move or if they'd never broken up, I think things would have turned out differently. He would have declined the recording contract and would be stuck here doing God know's what. I guess that things do tend to happen for a reason._

_I give it six months, by the way. Six months before Sora and Yamato find a way back into each others lives. If they're both going to be living in the same area, I think it'll happen. It shouldn't, but I have a feeling it will. They'll probably end up getting married, have a couple of kids, end up in crazy careers... We can only guess what the future has in store for all of us. So until then... this is Tai; checking out. Peace."_

* * *

><p>Dr. Anderson finished reading the paper, looked up at me, and then removed her glasses like she normally did when she was about to give me a lecture. I told her exactly what happened. What more did she want?<p>

"What?" I finally asked after she said nothing.

She just shook her head, as if she had nothing more to say.

"You're not exactly lecturing me like you usually do."

"I don't lecture," she said, "I give advice. It's kind of what I'm paid for."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, sure. So, what do you think?"

"Well, it's nothing more than I didn't already assume based on everything you've told me. I decided shortly after you opened up about Sora that she was the central reason behind everything that happened."

"Are you going to advise me on where to go from here?"

"I think that you don't need to hear me say anything. You've got everything figured out."

"Like hell I do! Everyone's still mad at me! Mimi, Yamato, and my sister are about the only people talking to me right now. How is that figuring everything out?"

"Welcome to growing up, Mr. Yagami. You've said it yourself: life isn't easy. It's actually really hard. Nobody has a perfect life. You will probably spend your whole life trying to figure it out. So you want my advice? Stop trying. Stop trying to make everyone happy and stop trying to fix things. Sometimes you just have to let things be."

"That's the worst advice I've ever heard."

She shrugged, "I'm sorry you feel that way."

"I don't want things to end this way with my friends. Sora is leaving in a week and I don't know when or if I'll see her again. Yamato is leaving too. So is Koushiro. Everyone is leaving. If I don't try to fix things, we all may never speak to each other again."

"You've all been friends for majority of your lives. I know you're in a weird transition of your life where everything is confusing and complicated and you fight for stupid reasons. In the end though, it will either find a way to work itself out or you won't be friends any more. If it came down to that you'd eventually learn to realize that it's probably for the best. Not everyone stays friends forever. I know that's not what you want to hear but that's life. Friends come and go. As do lovers. There's no way to change that. Usually if they don't stay in your life it's for a reason. You may never know why but it's just the way things are."

I slumped back in my chair and folded my arms, "I hate the way things are."

She just stared at me as if silently agreeing. The after school bell rang indicating that our hour session had come to an end.

"Well," she said while gathering her things, "I can honestly say that it has been a pleasure talking with you and advising you over these past three months. I did enjoy our sessions together. I will say that you are one student I will never forget. You've grown up a lot since we first met and I think that despite what's gone on in your life recently, you'll be just fine. Are there any final things you want to talk about before we go?"

"Is it possible to be in love with one person and just love someone else?" I asked.

"There are many different types of love. I don't think there are any true definitions to the word out there. Everyone feels love differently. You love your family unconditionally. It's also a love that never goes away, regardless of how much you drive each other crazy. You love your friends but in more of a caring, wishing them the best kind of way. You can also say you love someone but not be _in love_ with them. I think the phrase "I love you" is thrown around too loosely nowadays. If you truly love someone, and I mean you're in love with them, you know it. You don't question it; you don't doubt it. You just know. True love is something most people search for their entire lives. Does that make any sense?"

"Actually, yeah. Thanks."

"But don't say anything out loud if you or the other person is not ready. Rejection is the worst kind of heartbreak and it's hard to come back from that."

I nodded, acknowledging what she said and then stood to leave.

"Have a wonderful rest of the school year, Mr. Yagami. Perhaps we'll cross paths again one day," Dr. Anderson said once I'd reach the door.

I wasn't planning to say anything, but I ended up blurting it out anyways, "I really enjoyed talking to you. I may not have shown it every time, but you helped me through a lot. Thank you."

She smiled. It was genuine, and pure, and also kind of heartbreaking at the same time. She knew everything about me. I know this is just her job but I feel like she actually went out of her way to help me. Truth be told, she really did have a big impact on my life. I hope she never forgets me.

* * *

><p>Mom picked me up after my session ended and we went straight to the doctor. I wanted to actually be able to walk at graduation without the help of crutches so the doctor agreed to switch my cast to a walking boot. Why they didn't just freaking do that from the beginning I'll never understand.<p>

Needless to say, having the cast removed and the boot put on was a painful process. My leg still has a while before it would be completely healed so all of the adjusting hurt. I tried not to show I was in pain and in turn ended up walking out of the office successfully. On the upside, they gave me more painkillers. Stronger ones.

"Are there any family plans tonight that I should be aware of?" I asked once we were in the car.

"Not that I'm aware of," Mom replied.

"Mind if I go out?"

"I don't mind. Just warn me ahead of time if you plan on staying out the whole night."

"Okay."

"What are you planning to do?"

"I don't know yet. Just something that gets me out of the house. Probably go hang out with Yamato or something."

"You're going to have to talk to your father eventually."

"Or I could just avoid him and pretend like he's not a complete asshole."

"Excuse me! Watch your language, young man. He is your father. Show some respect in how you talk about him. And yes, we are all aware that your father was being a little less than friendly toward your girlfriend but that doesn't mean-"

"A little less than friendly? Mom, he was a jerk. Mimi has had her heart set on this internship for a long time and seeing the look on her face when he said that broke my heart. She doesn't deserve to hear that. Her own father gives her enough grief she doesn't need it from him too."

"I know. Believe me. We had a very long talk about it. He feels like a jerk."

"Well, he should."

"I agree."

We fell silent for a minute. I was glad when she finally broke our uncomfortable silence with a change of subject.

"You and Yamato are getting along well, then?"

"Yeah, we're good. He's kind of moody here lately but for once it's not because of me."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, can I ask about what's going on with Sora?"

"Who said anything was going on with Sora?"

She turned and gave me an 'oh please' look, "I may be old, but I'm not stupid. I know you two haven't had the best relationship lately but I thought you'd resolved it. She was here all the time after your accident and then once you came back from your trip with Mimi, I haven't seen or heard from her at all."

I sighed, "Sora and I aren't exactly on the same page right now."

"I know it's not my place to say anything. It's just that you two have been friends for so long. I'd hate to see that come to an end over something petty."

"Yeah. Me too."

"I trust you'll figure it all out and everything will be okay in the end."

"I sure hope so."

She didn't say anything after that, just watched the road as she drove. It was nice having some alone time with my mom. We didn't get that very often. It wouldn't last very long though because we were almost home and as soon as we walked in the door I would make an excuse to leave.

"Hey, mom?" I said as she parked the car.

"Yes, Tai?"

"It was nice talking to you."

She smiled, "You too, sweetie."

We went upstairs and I quickly grabbed a couple of things before heading back out the door. Truth be told, I had no plans. Yamato wasn't answering his phone so that was a bust. I just wanted to leave the house as quickly as I could before my dad came home like my mom assumed earlier. We really had it out last night. I accused him of being an insensitive drunk and he told me that Mimi and I wouldn't last and that I was living in a fantasy world. There was a lot of shouting and throwing things until both of us went into our rooms and slammed the door.

It was kind of pathetic, really. Two adults throwing temper tantrums. But he knew he was in the wrong and didn't want to admit it. That's what pissed me off the most.

Oh well. Things would eventually calm down and we'd go back to whatever it was before but until then I just wanted distance. I walked -slowly, mind you- through the parking lot and onto the side walk outside the apartment complex. I didn't know what I'd do so I just went toward the park.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Mimi<em>**

_I checked the mirror by the front door one last time before heading out for the afternoon. I had my hair flat ironed today, much different from its usual wavy mess of curls that I was so naturally blessed with. I prayed it wasn't humid today or my hair would be right back to the messy waves. _

_I'd also chosen a pair of skinny jeans, some killer heels, and a cute blouse. It's not like I was trying to draw attention from anyone or anything. I mean, I did have a boyfriend, minus the label. I was just stuck in my ways is all. I dressed to impress. You wouldn't see this girl leaving the house in sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt. _**_  
><em>**

_I decided it was too late now to do anything else with how I looked and grabbed my purse to leave. Locking the door behind me, I quickly made my way toward my car. I had a lunch date and I was late. What else was new? I was always late.  
><em>

_I received a text message from Tai while I was buckling my seat belt. He mentioned us getting together but I already had prior engagements I had to attend to. I quickly wrote him back saying I was out and that we could get together later. It was Friday night. My favorite night of the week. Why? Because Tai didn't have school the next day. He could stay with me the whole night and not have to worry about curfew. Just having him spend the night made everything worth it. That and that alone was the sole reason I loved the weekends.  
><em>

_The last time Tai and I were together things got kind of weird with his father. His dad thinks I'm a joke, but I'm used to it by now. My own father already threatened to cut me off financially if I went through with this internship. I told him, rather loudly if I remember correctly, that I didn't need his money. I'd make my own way in this world and didn't care if he cut me off. It was probably a bad call at the time, considering I don't exactly have my own money, but I want to be independent at the same time. I have some money saved up in an account my parents aren't aware of. I did a modeling gig a couple times and that made me some cash but not enough to live off of for long. I'd be in Italy in three months though and then I could get a part time job doing something out there. I didn't need his money. I didn't need anyone.  
><em>

_My dad was all talk. He'd never cut me off... I hope. I'm his only child, after all.  
><em>

_I pulled up to the small cafe just outside Tokyo near the medical center. I'd never been there before but it came highly recommended so I trusted that was good enough.  
><em>

_I parked my car and got out, walking toward the front door. I glanced inside. It was a little place. Small, cozy, private. There were tables that seated between two and four people at a time and the whole place had a really casual, jazzy feel to it. Cute was the first word that came to mind. I wondered how the food was, even though I wasn't that hungry.  
><em>

_Tai always got on to me about never eating enough. I ate. I did. Just not a lot here lately. I was so stressed out with everything that food was kind of the last thing on my mind. Yes, I'd noticed a change in my body recently. My hip bones were more prominent than normal, but at the same time my stomach never looked better. Call me shallow, but I do enjoy looking the way I do. I like being skinny. If that's a crime, then sue me. The biggest issue I was facing was my jeans not fitting. I could go buy new clothes, in a smaller size, but that's what belts are made for.  
><em>

_Okay. So I'm shallow. But at least I admit it.  
><em>

_I pulled the door open to the cafe and a small bell rang above my head, announcing my arrival. The place was packed for it being the middle of the day. I scanned the floor, looking for the person that was expecting me but couldn't spot him.  
><em>

_"Mimi," a soft voice called from behind me.  
><em>

_I turned and there he was. A smile crept onto my face. I couldn't have stopped that grin if I tried. My, how he'd changed since I last saw him. Before I knew it, I'd wrapped my arms around his neck and smothered him in a suffocating hug. He laughed, and wrapped his arms around me too.  
><em>

_"I missed you, too," he whispered.  
><em>

_I pulled back and put my hands on both sides of his face, "Jyou."  
><em>

_He laughed and smiled, "You're squishing my face."  
><em>

_"Oh!" I said a little embarrassed and let go, "Sorry!"  
><em>

_"I got us a table by the window," he said, putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me toward the empty table.  
><em>

_I sat down at the table and admired my old friend. I hadn't seen him in probably close to two years. He looked so different. His hair was longer, for starters. It hung almost to his shoulders in a sexy, almost rebellious kind of way for him. He still wore thick glasses but had managed to change the frame so he didn't look so... Harry Potter any more. Now he looked like a professor, which wasn't surprising considering he taught part time at the University. He was only two years older than me, but had accomplished so much since graduating high school at sixteen. He was a genius, that one.  
><em>

_"You look great," I said.  
><em>

_"So do you," he replied, "What have you been up to?"  
><em>

_I shrugged, "Not a whole lot. I just moved back to Japan a couple months ago. It's been kind of uneventful. Well, if you don't count drama with my parents and boys that is."  
><em>

_He just shook his head and laughed, "Parent drama and boys. You haven't changed at all have you?"  
><em>

_"What can I say? I like trouble and I like boys."  
><em>

_"Speaking of boys... rumor has it you've been seeing a close friend of ours. Is that true?"  
><em>

_"Rumor has it? Good to know I've been the center of the gossip mill."  
><em>

_"Not really. It was mentioned in passing once or twice. I never know what to believe any more."  
><em>

_"Well, the rumors are true. Tai and I are seeing each other."  
><em>

_"It's kind of random so I have to ask: how?"  
><em>

_"It's a really long story. We were both going through some things and ended up finding each other through it. He's really special. Hes helped me through a lot."  
><em>

_"It sounds like you really care about him."  
><em>

_I found myself nodding, "I do. I really do. It hasn't been the easiest road for us, but we're working through it."  
><em>

_"I think if two people care enough about each other, nothing else should matter. I haven't personally seen you two interact but I always knew there was chemistry there. How is everyone else responding to the change? I know how difficult it was when Sora and Yamato started dating. I'm so out of the loop right now I just have no idea what's going on in everyone's personal lives."  
><em>

_"I'm just as far out as you are. Sora doesn't talk to me any more because she's secretly in love with Tai but won't say it out loud. Miyako and Hikari are about the only ones that still keep in contact. Yamato is just doing his own thing, but we were never close to begin with. Koushiro... well, that's complicated. I guess he kind of likes me and now that I'm dating Tai it's weird for him. Weird for both of us, I guess. Tai usually tells me what's going on. I don't hear it from them personally. We used to be such a close group. I don't know what happened."  
><em>

_"We grew up. Just because we don't talk to each other everyday or see each other regularly it doesn't mean we're not all still friends. We're at a point in our lives where we're all trying to figure out who we are and what we want to do. Some of us will fall apart but I think that in the end, it'll all work out okay and we'll all be just fine."  
><em>

_"Jyou, you're the one person that understands exactly what I'm going through. You just get it. You're so busy with school and teaching and don't have a lot of free time. That's just the problem. Free time. There isn't much of it these days. I think it's a lot of the reason our relationships are suffering."  
><em>

_"I wish we had more time, but some things kind of take priority at different times in your life. Unfortunately for people like Sora and Yamato, they're more focused on their dating lives than anything else right now. People like me, I'm more focused on my career. You'll all hit that point eventually."  
><em>

_"I couldn't agree more."  
><em>

_"If you want my honest opinion, I think you're going to turn out just fine. Whatever you choose to do with your life will be the right choice, even if others don't agree with it. You have to do what's best for you and no one else."  
><em>

_I left my lunch date with Jyou a couple of hours later. We got so caught up in talking to each other that time just escaped us. I didn't even realize it was after five until Tai texted me again. Jyou panicked, saying he had to get back to the hospital, and we parted ways. We agreed to meet again soon, or at least once more before I left for Italy.  
><em>

_I really did cherish my friendship with Jyou. Of all of my old friends, he's the one that understands me the most. He knows what I like and what I don't, my pet peeves, and can read how I'm feeling like a book. I didn't realize until that moment how much I'd missed him. We hardly see each other, but still keep in touch through social media and phone calls. I guess it's better than nothing, even if I do prefer in-person.  
><em>

_I got in my car and dialed Tai. He was at the park, probably looking like a loner. He wasn't exactly thriving in the friend department here lately. I kind of blame myself for that. _

_I decided to go pick him up so we could go back to my place and just enjoy each others company. We could rent a movie and get a pizza or something. I wasn't really in the mood for going out. Just cuddling with him on the couch in the privacy of my home was enough._

* * *

><p>Mimi and I arrived back at her apartment around six. I'd spend majority of the afternoon just hanging out at the park. It was boring and lonely but it was always better than being at home. At least there was an intense soccer game happening to help pass the time.<p>

Mimi was quiet in the car, giving off a weird vibe. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but I didn't want to pry. She didn't seem upset... just off, I guess. I decided it was best not to say anything.

When we walked into the apartment, Mimi placed her purse on the small table by the door and then wrapped her arms around my neck, catching me off guard. I stumbled and bumped into the wall, but she never let go of me. She pulled away and just looked into my eyes. My heart started racing. That was the saddest look I've ever received. I didn't know what to think so I just blurted something out.

"If this is the part where you tell me you met someone else, just let me jump off the balcony and kill myself first," I said, getting nervous that she was about to say something I didn't want to hear.

"Don't be silly," she whispered.

She lifted her hand and played with the hair in my face, never unwrapping her other arm from my neck. It was something she had always enjoyed doing, playing with my hair. When she leaned in and kissed me, my whole body tensed up. It was a gentle, warm kiss and it completely threw me off. Usually she attacked me and that was the end of it. I wasn't used to this but it was a nice change of pace.

She deepened the kiss, pulling my hair into her fingers. My hands began roaming up and down her back. At one point, I grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her hair playfully. I think she enjoyed it because I soon felt her unbuttoning my pants.

"I don't have any," I moaned when she broke the kiss and started nibbling my neck, all while feeling around at her own pleasure.

"I don't care," she whispered back, her mouth finding mine again once she'd gotten my button undone and my zipper down.

"Mimi-"

"I'm on the pill. It's fine."

I wasn't exactly sure what I'd done to make Mimi want me so much in that moment, but I wasn't complaining. We hadn't been physical since that one night in New York and I missed the intimacy between us. It wasn't just about sex with Mimi. Being physical with her made me feel more connected to her. It was a private thing we shared. Just me and her.

Once she'd managed to pull my pants to my ankles, she lifted up her arms for me to remove her shirt. I laughed and did as she wanted. She then took off my shirt and we kissed again.

"Make love to me," she whispered.

I grabbed her thighs and lifted her up off the floor. She wrapped her arms around my neck for balance and her legs around my waist as I moved us from the entry of the house toward the couch.

"Bed," she said and I changed direction toward the bedroom.

I'm not exactly sure what brought on the mood between us, but when Mimi and I made love that night it felt like the it was for the first time. It was so passionate and different. It was like we were discovering each other all over again. It made me feel like we connected on a completely different level.

When it was over, we laid in her bed, wrapped up in each other under the thin sheets. I had one arm behind my head and the other wrapped around Mimi. She was playing with my hair again. I looked down at her and she smiled. I kissed her forehead and then laid back and closed my eyes. I didn't want this moment to end.

"That was..." she said, but couldn't think up the words, "Wow."

"I feel the same."

"Come to Italy with me," she said, completely throwing me off guard and kind of ruining the moment, if I'm being honest.

I shifted so I could look at her, "What?"

"Take a semester off and come live in Italy with me."

"Mimi-"

"I don't want to lose you." She buried her face in my neck.

"You're not going to lose me. We'll see each other on holidays. A year isn't that long."

"I know. But now that it's getting closer reality is hitting. I don't know if I can be away from you for that long. Maybe I shouldn't take the internship."

"What? No! Mimi, you have to take the internship. It's what you've always wanted. No. I won't be responsible for you turning it down. You have to take it. You'll take it or... or I'll break up with you. So there."

"You won't break up with me. You love me."

"I do not. You're crazy."

"Oh whatever. Stop lying to yourself. You know you love me."

"I do not!"

"You totally do. I want to hear you say it."

"No."

"Tell me you love me."

"I am not going to tell you I love you."

"I knew it!"

"What? No! That didn't count!"

"Taiii loves me, Taiii loves me," she taunted.

"I'll show you love."

I rolled over and started tickling her. She laughed hysterically, all while trying to make me stop. She squealed and even started crying from laughing so hard. I did stop, but only because she was making me laugh and I lost concentration. She took this to her advantage because she obtained control and straddled me. She pinned my arms above my head so I couldn't tickle her any more and I have to admit, she's a lot stronger than she looks.

I looked up into her beautiful hazel eyes, which were fluttering with specks of blue today. Her hair was surrounding my face and tickling my ears. All jokes vanished from her eyes and she wore a very serious look.

"Tell me you love me," she said again, this time more demanding than playful.

I didn't know what to say. She wasn't playing around. She actually wants me to confess my love to her. But why? I didn't know if we were at that point yet. Our relationship was so up and down. I didn't want to ruin anything or her to run off if I said it out loud.

"It's easy," she whispered, after I didn't say anything.

"Mimi."

"I love you."

"Mimi."

"I do, Tai. I really do."

"Mimi."

"Say something, Tai."

"Mimi, you don't love me."

"But I do. I really do."

Before I could say anything else she laid her head down in the crook of my neck. She was naked, I was naked, and she was straddling me. More or less, it was kind of an awkward position we were in. Not exactly one I'd have pictured myself having a serious conversation in.

"I know you feel the same," she said.

But did I?

I thought I was in love with Sora but then after everything that happened I realized I wasn't. What I feel for Mimi is completely different. If it's love I'm not sure. I thought I knew what love was with Sora but I think it was just lust. More of wanting something I knew I couldn't have. But Mimi... she makes me feel... alive. With her, I'm carefree and happy and grounded. She brings out the best in me which I've never had before. The thought of us not being together makes me sick. The thought of her being with someone else makes me angry. Is that what love means?

"I love you, too, Mimi."

I could feel her smile into my shoulder. We said nothing else and ended up falling asleep in each others arms.

I woke up later to the sound of my phone ringing. Mimi shifted too and her eyes fluttered open as well. She sat up as I hunted for the annoying ringing phone.

"What? Who?" She asked dazed.

"My phone. Where is it?" I asked, shuffling through the sheets to find it but it wasn't there. I then remembered it was in my pants pocket which just so happened to be located somewhere between the bedroom and the kitchen. I then told myself I needed to turn the ring volume down if I could hear it all the way across the condo.

"Ignore it," Mimi said, cuddling back in the sheets.

"What time is it?" I asked, realizing it was dark out.

"What does it matter?"

"I have to check in with my mom. It's probably her calling."

"Fine."

She rolled out of bed and grabbed her panties off the floor, quickly putting them on. I couldn't help but stare at the way the lace hugged her body.

"You like what you see?" She asked seductively after catching me staring.

She playfully started dancing around the room half naked just in time for my phone to start ringing again. I rolled my eyes and got out of the bed to go find the damn thing. She rolled her eyes as well, not please.

I was correct in assuming the phone was in my pants pocket. It wasn't my mom like I thought though. Instead, it was Yamato. He was blowing up my phone so I quickly answered.

"Hello?" I asked.

"I messed up, man," he said, sounding frantic.

"What happened?"

"I am such an idiot!" He shouted and then I heard what sounded like him punching the dashboard of a car.

"Yama. What. Happened?"

"Where are you? Can I come over?"

"I'm at Mimi's. Tell me what's going on."

There was a struggle, and some grunting and arguing, and then I heard Takeru shouting in the background and then he was the one talking to me.

"Tai, hey," Takeru said.

"Takeru, what is going on?"

He groaned, "My idiot of a brother decided to get drunk and then take some pills that one of his buddies said would make him feel better. He then proceeded to show up at Sora's house, cause a scene, and have one of their neighbors call the cops. Sora didn't press charges but he was one step away from getting himself arrested for being underage and drunk in public. They called me and now I have to find somewhere for him to chill out so my dad doesn't have to kill him and my mom doesn't cry herself to sleep."

"Well, I'm at Mimi's and I don't know if-"

"Tell them to come here," Mimi said.

"You sure?" I asked, covering the phone speaker so Takeru wouldn't hear, "Yamato's pretty messed up."

"Yes. I'd rather he come here than screw things up with his parents."

"Come to Mimi's," I told Tk, "I'll text you the address."

"Thanks, Tai. I'm driving illegally by the way so here's hoping I don't get pulled over on the way or you'll have two people to bail out of jail."

Seeing as Sora's apartment isn't very far from Mimi's condo, the boys arrived within twenty minutes. Tk and I had to physically carry Yamato to the elevator and then down the hall to her room. He was so messed up he couldn't even stand or see straight. It worried me. A lot. He'd done stupid stuff before, but nothing like this.

"What kind of pills did he take?" Mimi asked quickly.

"I don't even know," Tk said rushing Yamato into the bathroom just as he began convulsively throwing up, "I keep asking him questions and he doesn't say anything. Just stares at me or comments on how soft the leather is in the car..."

"Yamato, what kind of pills did your friend give you?"

"Ec... ecstasy..." he managed between puking phases.

"That was so stupid, Yamato," Mimi lectured and then stomped out of the bathroom and grabbed the phone.

"He's burning up, Tai," Takeru said, feeling the sweat running down his brothers neck.

Mimi returned moments later, "Poison control said we need to keep his temperature down. If his body temperature gets too high he will have brain damage."

"Help me get him in the shower," Takeru said, hoisting up the, now unconscious, Yamato.

I picked up Yamato's legs and Takeru grabbed him from under his arms. Together, we managed to get him in the bathtub. He was practically dead weight though so it was no easy feat. I turned on the cold water and let the shower rain down on him. He flinched, but just shut his eyes and laid there.

"Is he going to be okay?" Takeru asked.

I'd never seen Takeru so panicked before. He was really worried about his brother. Yamato, you freaking idiot.

"He'll be fine," Mimi said, "It looks like he threw up most of what was in his system. Once he cools down we can move him into the spare bedroom."

"He'll be okay," I said to Takeru, who just nodded, hoping I was right, "We'll just let him sit in here until he wakes up."

I followed Mimi out of the bathroom and into the living room. She looked stressed.

"When the hell did Yamato start doing drugs?" She asked in a hushed but angry tone.

"I didn't even know he was," I replied.

"He is such a freaking idiot! How could he do this? Did you see Takeru's face in there? He's traumatized! What a selfish, selfish thing to do!"

"He's fighting a lot of demons right now."

"So that makes it okay to experiment with ecstasy? And why the hell would he go to Sora's of all places? Seeing her just upsets him more. I thought you said he was sleeping with someone else. Why does he keep going back to her if he has someone else?"

I look behind me and make sure Takeru wasn't within earshot of that comment, "Would you keep it down? Hikari told me that in confidence you're not supposed to know that. He goes to her because he refuses to admit to himself that he's still in love with her."

"Well I can see now why she doesn't feel the same. He's a fucking idiot with addictive tendencies."

"Hey," I said, walking closer to her and putting my hands on the sides of her face, "Calm down. It's going to be okay."

She sighed and shook her head, "I just wanted a quiet night alone with you. That's obviously not going to happen. I guess since Takeru is staying I'll order pizza."

"Thank you for being understanding. You're being a good friend to them."

I kissed her on the forehead and she walked away to order the food. Takeru emerged from the bathroom, a look of relief washed over him.

"He's awake and complaining about freezing to death," he said. "Let's get him into the bed."

I helped Takeru get Yamato out of the tub and into some dry clothes, which happened to be a shirt I had lying around and a pair of sweat pants. He'd cooled down enough and managed to keep a bottle of water down so we let him crawl into bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I pulled the small trash can out of the bathroom and stuck it next to the bed, just in case.

We went into the living room just as the pizza arrived. I didn't know about Takeru, but I was starving. I didn't even wait for the pizza box to make it to the table before grabbing a slice and shoving it in my mouth. I found a plate and walked over to the couch. Mimi and Takeru soon joined me. We all sighed, almost simultaneously, and then laughed. What a stressful night this had turned into.

"Do you guys mind if I crash here tonight? My mom thinks I'm staying at my dad's and my dad thinks I'm out with Yamato for the night so I can't exactly show up at either place," Takeru explained.

"It's fine, Takeru. There's more than enough room for you to stay here," Mimi said.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, sweetie."

Mimi and I cuddled together on the couch after we'd all agreed on a movie. It was getting late. I checked in with my mom and told her I'd be staying out the night. I mentioned I was with Yamato and Takeru, which technically wasn't a lie, but left out the part about being at Mimi's. I don't think she would have cared regardless but I left it out just to be safe.

Not long after the movie started, there was a knock at the front door that caught us all by surprise. We all exchanged glances and the knock came again, this time louder.

"I'll get it," Takeru said, so Mimi and I wouldn't have to get out of our cuddling position.

We both watched him open the door and heard who it was before ever seeing a face.

"Where is he?" Sora shouted, pushing Takeru aside and letting herself in.

"Sora, come on. He just fell asleep," Takeru pleaded.

"I don't care. I need to talk to him," she said, stomping into the kitchen and rummaging around. She found one of the pots under the stove and filled it with water from the sink. She then stomped down the hallway and started shouting his name.

"Has she lost her mind?" Mimi asked, getting up from the couch and following Sora.

"Yamato... Oh, Yamato... Where the hell are you?" Sora was shouting as she opened every door in the hallway until she finally found him, "There you are!"

"No, Sora, stop!" Mimi shouted.

Takeru and I went running down the hallway to see what was happening. We arrived just in time to watch Sora throw the water in the pot on Yamato and soak him and the entire bed. Yamato jolted out of his sleep and sat up quickly, having no clue what was going on. Mimi had her hands over her mouth in complete shock over what just happened.

"Oh, good! You're awake. Now, I'm going to kill you!" Sora shouted, holding the pot above her head and charging toward him.

"Stop, no!" Takeru shouted, grabbing her around the waist and stopping her. He got the pot out of her hand so she couldn't throw it at him next.

"Let me go! I'm going to kill him!" Sora continued shouting and struggling to get free of Takeru's grip. She wasn't getting anywhere with it though. Takeru had a good nine or so inches on her and at least fifty pounds. Her chances of breaking free were pretty slim.

"She's lost her freaking mind," Mimi said.

"Why did you throw water on me?" Yamato asked, looking completely confused.

"How dare you show up at my house and embarrass me like that!" Sora shouted, still trying to break free of Takeru's grip, "It was completely humiliating having the cops show up at my home because you decided to act like a jackass!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Can we talk?" Yamato asked, "In private."

"I have nothing to say to you. I want to hit you over the head and knock some sense into you!"

"If you would calm down this would go a lot faster."

Sora glared at him and took in a long, deep breath, "Okay. I'm calm."

"Let her go, Takeru," Yamato said.

Tk slowly loosened the grip around Sora's waist. She managed to stay calm for about five seconds but before anyone could stop her again, she jumped on the bed and started strangling him.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Yamato pleaded every time she slammed his head into the pillow.

"I need a drink," Mimi said, exiting the room and shaking her head in disbelief.

Takeru wrestled Sora off the bed and got her to stand still. She straightened out her shirt and took a deep breath again.

"I get that you're mad, okay? I get it," Takeru began, "But if you're going to come here and do nothing but try and strangle him then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"I'm not leaving before I talk to him."

"I'll let you go if you promise not to attack him again."

"I won't attack him again."

"If you do, I will personally pick you up and throw you out the door. Got it?"

"I got it, Takeru."

Takeru slowly let her go again and much to all of our relief, she didn't try to attack him again.

"Some privacy, guys?" Yamato said, but Takeru gave him a wary look, "It's fine."

Takeru and I left the room and he shut the door behind us. We found Mimi in the kitchen, pouring herself a drink from the liquor cabinet. She was stressed. Anyone could sense that. This was not the night she anticipated.

"Is Psycho staying the night as well?" She asked.

"I don't know," I replied.

"Perfect."

She chugged back the drink, made a horrified face, and poured herself another. We were all stunned when yet another knock came from the front door.

"Who the hell is here now?" Mimi shouted, slamming her glass down on the counter.

She stomped through the kitchen and toward the front door. She threw it opened with force and groaned. "Apparently a party was planned that I wasn't aware of. Come on in."

In the door walked my baby sister and Koushiro. To say I was a little stunned would have been an understatement.

Hikari didn't say anything, just ran to Takeru and wrapped her arms around his neck. He consoled her even though I'm pretty sure the whole reason she was here was to comfort him.

"He's okay," Takeru said, "Sora's in there talking to him right now."

"Sora's here?" Hikari asked, surprised.

"Everyone's here! It's a party, hey!" Mimi said sarcastically, going back into the kitchen.

"They're talking it out," Takeru continued.

"Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that room," Hikari said.

Koushiro and I stood next to each other uncomfortably. It was the first time we'd come in contact since the whole thing with Mimi became public. He looked about as thrilled to be here as I felt. I had a feeling the only reason he was here is because Hikari called him for a ride.

When there was a knock at the door again, Mimi all but had a conniption fit. She was not in the mood to entertain and all these people just kept randomly showing up at her door. I get they were here to see if Yamato was alright but still. At least warn a person before showing up.

"If anyone else shows up after this person I'm moving," Mimi said, answering the door once again.

This time, in walked Jyou. Mimi didn't scream or yell or do anything drastic. Instead, she just relaxed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back and a hint of jealousy washed over me. With everything else going on that was the last thing I should be feeling.

"How's he doing?" Jyou asked once they were both inside.

"He's better," Mimi said, "He's in there talking to Sora."

"Sora's here?"

"Everyone's here, if you haven't noticed," I said, making my presence known. So much for not making this a pissing contest.

"Oh, hey, Tai," Jyou said, finally noticing me. "Hikari. Takeru. Koushiro! How are you all?"

"Oh, you know, just unexpectedly brought together by a mutual friends stupidity," I said, receiving a couple of nervous laughs.

"Well, regardless of the reason, it's nice to see everyone," Jyou said with a smile.

I had to admit I felt the same. I think we all did. As awkward as I felt standing next to Koushiro, who was slowly inching away from me toward the door, I was kind of glad we were all together for once. When that happened last I didn't even know. It wouldn't happen again for a while either.

"Everyone sit. Enjoy yourselves. There's pizza on the table if anyone is hungry," Mimi said. She moved away from Jyou and approached me, taking my hand and leading me into the kitchen. I noticed Koushiro's eyes on us the entire time. I had to say something to him. I didn't want him hating me or feeling awkward around Mimi and I. If Mimi and I were going to try and make things work in the long run, he was just going to have to accept it.

"I think I'm going to head out," Koushiro announced.

"But you just got here," Mimi whined.

"I know but I have to be up early. I don't want to impose as it appears you have enough company."

"You're not imposing. Stay, Kou. Seriously. How often is it that we're all together?"

Kou looked torn. Mimi was turning on the charm without even realizing it. She had the ability to talk her way into or out of anything.

"Kou, please stay," I said.

"Yeah, if you leave now you might miss Sora beating my brother over the head with a pot," Tk said and the three of us -Takeru, Mimi, and me- laughed at the inside joke.

Koushiro ended up giving in, "Alright, alright. I wouldn't want to miss that."

And just like that, it was like everything was okay again. Jyou joined Hikari and Tk on the couch and Mimi grabbed her drink and joined them as well. Koushiro slowly approached me in the kitchen. We stared at each other for a moment before he nodded as if saying that everything would be alright between us.

"I'm sorry I've been so weird toward you lately," Koushiro said.

"I'm just glad you're talking to me again. It sucks not having one of my best friends around. And I should be the one apologizing to you. I'm the one that keeps screwing everything up," I said, lightly punching him on the shoulder and both of us laughing. "No hard feelings?"

"None. I was kidding myself thinking that someone like Mimi would ever fall for me anyway."

"Don't say that. Just because it didn't work out with her doesn't mean there's not someone just as equally beautiful and amazing out there for you."

"I don't have time for a girlfriend right now regardless. I need to focus on school. I mean, if I'm going to be president by the time I'm forty I really need to get into gear."

We both just laughed. I caught Mimi glancing my way. She smiled and winked, happy that Koushiro and I were finally talking to each other again. I smiled back, happy with myself for the first time in a while. She turned her attention back toward the others and I turned back toward Kou.

"I hope that one day I find someone that looks at me like Mimi looks at you," Koushiro said.

"She is pretty wonderful," I replied, still staring at the back of her head.

"Tai, Kou, come join us. Oh, and bring the whiskey!" Mimi said.

I just shook my head and grabbed the bottle then followed Koushiro into the living room. I sat down and wrapped an arm around Mimi. Jyou made room for Koushiro to sit next to him. Pretty soon everyone was talking and laughing and it felt just like old times. You know, before we all got our own lives and branched out from each other.

I realized something in that moment. It didn't matter what happened in our lives, we would always all be friends. Things could get hectic and downright insane and we'd all still come together in some way. This particular instance just so happened to be someone nearly over dosing on drugs, but hey, at least we were all together. We would just pick up where we left off and it would be like no time had passed in between. We would be okay.

Sora and Yamato emerged from the bedroom some time later. I honestly forgot they were here. They were in there for a long time. I think we all forgot because when they finally made an appearance, we all kind of just stared.

Jyou stood and rushed over to Yamato, "How are you feeling? Are you burning up? How many fingers am I holding up? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Yamato looked completely overwhelmed with all the questions, "I'm fine, really. I think the drugs are finally leaving my system."

"Just drink a lot of water. Stay hydrated, please."

"When did everyone get here?" Sora asked, changing the subject.

"Shortly after you," Mimi replied.

"We were all worried," Hikari stated.

"I know. I'm sorry. What I did was stupid and childish. It won't happen again, I promise," Yamato apologized.

"Well, it's nice to hear that. I'm hoping you'll stick to that promise. I'm also glad to see that Sora didn't murder you. I was starting to get worried," Tk said.

The two looked at each other and smiled. I would've loved hearing their conversation. They actually appeared to have worked things out. That was good... right?

"Yamato and I have something to announce," Sora began.

"If you say you're pregnant I will kill myself," Tk said, making us all laugh.

"No. Nothing like that," she continued, "Yamato and I have decided to be civil. We have agreed to talk about our problems versus him showing up at my house acting like an idiot and me trying to rip his head off. From now on, if we have a problem, we will talk about it like adults."

"So does that mean you two are getting back together?" Hikari said, asking the question we all wanted to know the answer to.

"No," Yamato answered, "But we are going to try and be friends. No more screaming and yelling and hating each other. It's not good for us considering our history and we know it's putting all of you in awkward positions. So from this day forward, we will be civil."

We all sighed in relief.

"Good," Tk said, "Because the drama between you two is starting to get really old." Hikari gave him a look to which he responded: "What? Like you weren't thinking the same thing."

We all stayed awake that night talking for hours. I had no idea about all the crazy things going on in my friends lives. For instance, Koushiro was accepted into a study abroad program for the summer. He was leaving the week after we graduated and wouldn't be back until September where he would begin classes at Tokyo. Jyou was busy working and studying, that was nothing new. Sora, who was actually talking to me now, was stressed out with moving and couldn't express how much she would miss everyone. It felt so good talking to all my friends again. I thought for the first time in a long time that things might actually be okay from here on out.

* * *

><p>The rest of the weekend and the last week of school went by without incident. I passed all my finals, not that it really mattered at this point seeing as I already got into the college I wanted. Oh, Dad and I came to an understanding. I yelled at him some, he yelled at me some, then we eventually shook it off and the pissing contest was over. Overall, I was relieved. He even went so far as to contact Mimi and apologize to her.<p>

Then came graduation. It was, well, boring, to say the least. It began at eight in the morning. We didn't finish until noon. My graduating class had almost six hundred people so it took forever. All the smart kids gave their speeches, the principle and teachers gave speeches, and then they handed out awards and finally came diplomas. Each time one of my friends walked across the stage I think I cheered louder than anyone in the room. They did the same for me once I crossed that stage. The principle nodded to me and then I saw Dr. Anderson. She nodded and smiled, clapping loudly. Call me self-centered, but I knew she liked me the most out of all her troubled students. I'm a charmer.

I found my family and Mimi once everything was done. Hikari instantly began snapping pictures. She broke out the big camera and wasn't planning to miss a single moment. Needless to say, I was seeing flashing dots everywhere.

"I'm so proud of you," Mimi whispered, embracing me in a hug.

"Thank you, babe," I replied.

"This is so perfect! Turn toward me, you two!" Hikari said and we did as she wanted.

I wrapped an arm around Mimi's shoulders and Hikari went insane. We all took turns taking pictures. Mom wanted a ton and so did my sister. Dad got a couple but was over it shortly. Koushiro, Yamato, Takeru, and Sora all found their way to us in time and then came more pictures. By the end of it, I was exhausted.

* * *

><p>"Are you so excited to finally be done?" Mimi asked once we left graduation.<p>

"Of course I'm excited! Here's to doing absolutely nothing for the next three months!" I replied.

"So what are the plans for today?"

"Dinner with my parents at six. Then a guy from school is having a huge party. I wasn't going to go but they're expecting me to make an appearance."

"Make an appearance?"

"Last blow out of the school year. Of course I have to be there."

"I guess that means I have to go also?"

"Only if you want to."

"Of course. I want to be where ever you are."

I smirked, "I thought you'd say that."

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach behind Mimi's condo. Have I ever mentioned how good Mimi looks in a bikini? Well, she looks really good in a bikini. Others noticed as well. She had a way of turning heads, even if she didn't mean to.

"This is so perfect," Mimi said in ecstasy as she soaked in the sun on the towel next to me.

"I'll say so," I replied behind a pair of Ray-Ban's as the sun baked us with the blinding rays.

She rolled over on her side and stared at me with a smile.

"What?" I wondered.

"Nothing," she replied, "It's just nice knowing you're all mine for the next three months."

I'm not sure why, but that comment kind of scared me. I foresee many trips to the mall and nail/hair salon in my future.

"We should probably get ready for dinner," I said.

"Is it that time already?"

"We're pushing five."

She sighed, "Alright."

She stood up and began putting her clothes back on, which was kind of a disappointment. Was it so wrong to like the way my girlfriend looks? I don't think so.

Dinner that night wasn't like a repeat of our last family get together. Dad drank, but didn't make any snide comments toward Mimi. That could've been because Yamato's family was dining with us as well. My dad was more focused on talking to Yamato's dad about the radio/TV station. He was fascinated about that business for some reason. Mom and Yamato's mom were talking and Mimi, Takeru, Yamato, Hikari, and I were all seated near each other talking.

"Who all is going to the party tonight?" Hikari wondered.

"Everyone," Yamato replied, "Well, anyone that matters at least."

"It sounds like a popularity contest. Only the beautiful people allowed."

"No. It's not like that at all. Anyone who wants to be there can go."

"Must be nice to have everyone love you."

"What are you talking about, Hikari? You're a cheerleader. You're right up there at the top of the popularity rankings," I commented.

"That is not the reason people like me. I'm a genuinely nice person. People appreciate that," she defended.

"Yeah. I'm sure that's what it is," Takeru said.

"Coming from you, that's just funny."

"Okay, children," Mimi butted in just before a fight broke out, "It's a high school party. Not a popularity contest. Who gives a crap?"

"She makes a good point," Yamato said.

"It's just another excuse for underage teenagers to binge drink and smoke pot," Hikari said.

"And that's exactly why we're going!" I said and Yamato and I did a high-five.

Mimi just rolled her eyes and smiled, "You two are something else."

"No worries, baby. You'll have a good time too."

"Yeah, yeah."

Dinner ended around eight thirty. We parted ways with our parents and headed toward the graduation party. Takeru agreed to be our DD, even though he wasn't legally licensed to drive. We figured in the instance he did get pulled over, the cop would take some sympathy on him for driving around a bunch of drunken idiots. It was a good samaritan deed, really.

"What is taking so long?" I shouted into the hallway.

We were sitting in Mimi's living room. She had us make a detour so she could change. Apparently jeans and a shirt weren't good enough for Mimi's party going standards. Yama and I were dressed casually. As was Takeru. Hikari wore a summer dress but it was still pretty casual. Mimi would once again be turning some heads tonight. It made me wonder how many people I'd be getting in fights with.

"Girls take so damn long to get ready," Yamato stated.

"No crap," I agreed.

Mimi emerged five minutes later. Like I assumed, she looked like she was getting ready for a red carpet event. Pink, form-fitting dress; short, by all standards of the word. Pink pumps and she'd managed to straighten her hair. The makeup stayed at a minimal, though she didn't need much regardless. I caught Yamato and Takeru staring.

"Damn, girl. You clean up nicely," Yamato said.

"Hey now," I warned.

"Just complementing a good looking girl. No harm in that."

"I'm ready when you guys are," Mimi said, completely ignoring both of us.

We left the condo and arrived at the party thirty minutes later. Mimi held my hand the entire car ride. It made me feel good knowing that no matter what others said or how many people stared, she still wanted everyone to know that I was hers.

"Let's not make this a repeat of the last party we were all at, please," Hikari begged.

"I promise not to be sucked into peer pressure by Tai and do a ton of keg stands," Yamato vowed.

"Me? You're the one that does peer pressure," I defended.

"I am persuaded very easily."

"Obviously."

"We're leaving now," Mimi said, annoyed, getting out of the car.

Yamato and I just stared at each other. He shrugged, "She's your girlfriend. What did you do to piss her off?"

"I just don't think she knows how to handle both of us at the same time."

"God forbid we ever had a threesome."

"Never say that again."

"Your loss. Let's go in there and show these people how to really party."

"Hell yeah!"

We did a fist bump and got out of the car and followed the others into the house.

The party was... well, lame. A party is a party. They're pretty much all the same. It's underage binge drinking, stupid people doing stupid things, someone gets naked, unprotected sex, drugs floating around... You know. That kind of thing. All parties are the same. We have a good time and then the cops show up and the party is over until the next one.

When things started to spin -multiple beers, a couple kegs stands, and some shots later- I wandered off to a quiet place by myself. Mimi was catching up with our friends and I didn't want to disturb them. She was actually having a good time and I didn't want to put a damper on that. She'd probably come looking for me eventually.

I found a quiet study down the hallway with a computer desk and a couch. That couch was all I needed. As soon as I sat down and put my head back, I fell asleep.

My snooze was dreamless. I was awoken by Mimi sometime later. She looked beautiful.

"There you are!" She said, shutting the door behind her, "We were all wondering where you disappeared to."

"I guess I fell asleep," I said with an over exaggerated yawn.

"I'm just glad I found you."

She kicked off her heels and walked over to me. I thought she'd just grab my hand and pull me up so we could go back to the party but things didn't exactly play out that way. Instead, she pushed me back into the couch, hitched up her dress, and straddled me. It took me by surprise but at the same time, who was I to complain?

"You're so pretty," she mumbled and began kissing my neck.

"Pretty?" I repeated, "Not sure how to feel about that."

She begins to dig her fingers into my scalp and even though it kind of hurts, I love it. She moves from my neck and kisses my lips. The hormones begin flying and so do our clothes.

She manages to get my shirt pulled over my head and I pull the top of her dress down. Things start getting more intense when suddenly the door to the room busts open.

We both pull away from each other and turn to see Yamato and Sora standing in the doorway. Both have red solo cups in their hands and stunned expressions. Yamato then just grins stupidly.

"Looks like this room is occupied... we'll find another," he says and ushers Sora out of the room just as quickly as they entered.

I'm not sure what bothered me more in that moment. The fact that they'd just walked in on Mimi and me about to go to town, or the fact that the two of them were trying to find a room to be alone in. Regardless, it killed the moment for me. So much for them being "just friends".

"I guess we should get back to the party," Mimi suggests, sensing my change in mood.

"Yeah, I guess."

She stands up and pulls her dress back up over her chest. She then puts on her shoes and hands me my shirt. I follow her suit and put my shirt back on. She stares at me for a minute then walks to me and just hugs me. Her head is against my chest and she's just standing there.

"I love you," she says softly, "Just remember that."

It still feels odd to me that Mimi and I are casually throwing around the L word now. Not because I don't feel the same, just because I'm not used to it yet. It's all so new to me.

"Hey," I said pulling her out of my grip and looking in her eyes, "You okay?"

She just nods but I know she's not. Maybe it was the expression on my face when I saw Sora. I felt terrible now though. I don't want her to feel like everything with Sora is going to be a competition because it's not. Mimi will win, hands down, if it came down to it.

"Do you wanna leave?" I asked, "I can get Takeru to take us back to your place."

"No. This is your last high school party. I want you to have a good time."

"I won't have a good time if you're not."

"I am having a good time."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. As long as I know that you'll be waking up in my bed tomorrow, that's all I need."

With those parting words, she turns and walks out of the room leaving me standing there like a fool. I know she's upset. I have to fix this.

I dash out of the room and catch up to her in the living room where half the party is hanging out. No one's paying attention to us. I see Sora and Yamato standing nearby leaving me to assume they didn't find a vacant room to mess around in.

I grabbed Mimi's hand and spun her so she was facing me. I pulled her face to mine and kissed her right there in front of everyone. I wanted everyone to know that Mimi was mine and I wasn't trying to hide it.

"I love you," I told her once we pulled apart.

The smile on her face was all the confirmation I needed to know that she would be okay. She reached up and put a hand to my cheek. She walked away and joined Hikari and Takeru on the back porch. I was planning to join her but was quickly approached by Sora.

"Can we talk?" She asked.

I could sense that she was not happy, but what else was new?

"Sure," I replied.

She grabbed onto my hand and led me away from the party; back into the room Mimi and I just came out of. She all but slammed the door behind us and then turned to face me.

"So what, you and Mimi are in love now?" She asks, "Didn't you two _just _start dating?"

"I don't think it's any of your business how Mimi and I express ourselves," I reply.

"That's funny considering I thought you two were just screwing around."

"There's a lot more to it than that."

This is not what she wants to hear. Sora has made it very clear that if she can't have me, she doesn't want anyone else to either. The fact that Mimi is now part of my life in a permanent way infuriates her.

"Well," she says, "good for you. I'm sure you'll both be very happy together."

She turns to leave but I grab onto her wrist and stop her. She doesn't even have the decency to turn back and face me.

"Why can't you ever be happy for me? Why the hell are you so damn spiteful toward anything that doesn't center around you? That's all you ever think about lately, Sora. _You._ It's always all about _you_. You haven't considered anyone else's feelings except your own for a long time now. What happened to you? Is this how it's going to be from now on? If you're miserable then you have to bring everyone else down with you? Did you honestly think that if you left Yamato to be with me that it would solve anything? Wrong. You're so damn miserable with yourself that you can't even attempt happiness any more. Stop pretending like I'm the answer to all your fucked up problems. I'm officially done with you, Sora. You broke Yamato's heart... and mine. Get it through your head: _I do not want you. _Not any more..."

I let go of her wrist and plan to storm out of the room but she stops me. We stand there in silence staring at each other. She starts crying. I know she didn't want to hear those cruel things but I'm tired of sugar-coating everything when it comes to her. She needs to come down off her high horse and return to reality because honestly, I'm tired of it. She's so up and down I don't know what to think any more.

"You're right," she says so lightly I almost think I'm hearing things, until she continues, "I'm selfish and inconsiderate of other people's feelings. I should be happy that you're happy with Mimi. Instead, I'm bitter. I can't bring myself to be happy for either of you. I'm messed up. I've ruined people's lives and I can't ever change that. I came to this party to say goodbye to you. The last thing I expected was to see Mimi hanging all over you. This isn't how I wanted things to happen. I don't want to leave with us hating each other."

"I don't hate you, Sora."

"I know. I just wish... I wish that..."

What happens next I can't even begin to fathom. I reach out and take her by the waist and pull her to me. Our lips meet in a passionate, hungry kiss. We both know it's only going to hurt more in the end but neither of us is pulling away.

I take everything in. The feel of her body against mine, the taste of her lips, the way her hair smells. I want to remember her just like this: vulnerable, scared, stubborn... yet, so passionate and loving. It's everything that makes Sora who she is. The ups and the downs, the good times and the bad. It's all her. No one ever said life would be easy and in all honesty, people do change. We all grow up and we all see the world differently but in the end, you can always find a way back to your true self.

The kiss lasts a little longer than it should but it finally does end.

She lowers her head and just holds me. She whispers the words I've been secretly wanting to hear for a long time now.

"I love you. And I'm sorry. Goodbye, Taichi."

It wasn't until that moment that I finally realized that I am truly over her. The kiss meant nothing to me. It was a goodbye kiss. The last one we would ever share.

* * *

><p>It's bitter-sweet, really. I've been waiting to hear those words from Sora for a long time. Now that they've finally been said out loud, I can move on with my life even if I didn't say I loved her back; because I don't. I don't know when our paths will cross again but I'm sure it will be sooner rather than later. After all, goodbye doesn't necessarily mean forever. Sora will always be my best friend. No petty fights or distance or length of time will ever change that. What we have is special. Most people go their entire lives never having a relationship like ours. Nothing is ever going to change that.<p>

It's Sunday. The day after the party. I told Mimi what happened between Sora and I. She's not mad. In all honesty, she was surprised it hadn't happened sooner. She said that it was what I needed to finally get over her. She was right.

I'm leaning on the railing of Mimi's patio watching the sun attempt to break through the dark clouds. The waves in the water are increasing in size and the wind has picked up considerably. There's a storm coming.

I feel an arm slide through mine and turn to see Mimi standing by my side with a warm smile on her face.

"You're up early," she said.

"I couldn't sleep," I reply with a shrug.

I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her close to me. I stand there holding her as the last three months play through my head. So much has happened it almost makes my head hurt. There are so many memories -some good, some bad- but they're all one's I'll never forget.

I've changed a lot in these past three months. I've grown up, that's for sure. I've learned that I can't change things but I can prevent how certain things turn out. I've also gained patience to accept those things that I can't change. Things happen and you just have to accept it. Life is constantly in motion and you can either keep moving with it or stay miserable at a stand-still. As Dr. Anderson said, "You grow and you learn." She's one hundred percent correct.

"What do you say we go get breakfast?" Mimi suggests.

"Sure. I'll be in shortly."

She nods and walks inside, shutting the door behind her just as the rain begins to fall. I find myself smiling for no apparent reason. I'm not exactly sure what the future has in store for Mimi and me. Right now, we're just enjoying each others company. We're two lonely people that just so happened to find comfort in each other. We don't plan to make any serious commitments at the moment. We just want to have fun. She is leaving at the end of summer after all. Not to mention, I'm going to be college-bound.

Just as I'm about to turn to go inside, I see an airplane high up in the sky. It makes me wonder if Sora is on that plane. I'm surprised the weather didn't delay the flights. It is getting pretty nasty out.

"You ready?" Mimi asks, popping her head through the sliding door.

"Yep."

It's kind of ironic, don't you think? That it would storm the day Sora leaves. I feel like wherever she is right now there's a smile on her face. She loves thunderstorms just as much as I do. That's one thing that will never change between us. I know one day we will be close again. All of the drama and heartbreak will come to an end and things will go back to normal. Everything will fall into place when it's meant to be.

After all, what's a few raindrops between friends?

* * *

><p><strong>End.<strong>

* * *

><p>Thank you to everyone who has kept up with me during this story. I appreciate all the feedback from everyone (even if I didn't always respond to you). Just know that I'm grateful. Thank you!<p>

On a side note, I have an epilogue chapter in the works. Not making any promises on it actually getting finished though. Just throwing it out there. Thanks again!


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